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ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND

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ADVENTURES

IN

MASHONALAND

BY

TWO HOSPITAL NURSES

ROSE BLENNERHASSETT

AND

LUCY SLEEMAN

3Lottt)0tl
MACMILLAN AND CO.

AND NEW YORK
1893

A II rights reserved

SEYMOUR-FORT

AND OUR OTHER FRIENDS
IN AFRICA

316

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

Preliminary — How I became a nurse — Workhouse Infirmaries —
Infirmary Nursing Association — Cardiff Union Hospital —
Sad state of things — Reforms — Dr. Sheen — Night nursing
begun — House surgeon — Health gives way — Typhoid at
Johannesburg — English nurses going out — I join them —
Sister Lucy Sleeman — From Natal to Johannesburg — Life in
the "Golden City" — Impecuniosity — Life in the Home — A
ball — Visit to a gold-mine — We leave for Kimberley — The
coach — A drunken neighbour — Kimberley — The hospital —
The diamond mines — De Beers compound — Precautions
against diamond stealing — Night duty — We propose returning
to England ..... Page I

CHAPTER II

Leave Kimberley — Hear of Bishop Knight Bruce — Offer to go to
Mashonaland — Tickets to England — Miss the train — A day
outside Kimberley — Bishop's telegram — Off to Cape Town —
Meet Bishop — Settle to join Mission — Leave the Roslyn Castle
— Mr. Maund — Decide to go vid Piingwe — Plans changed —
Stop at Durban — Canon Booth — Indian Mission — Bishop off
to Maritzburg — Lodging hunting — Durban and its inhabitants
— Visit to house of Jamieson — Mosquitoes — Kaffir huts —
Indian service — Bishop returns — Leaves for Beira without us

ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND

— "Major" Johnson — Dr. Doyle Glanville — Off at last —
Fellow-passengers — Inhambane — The Queen's health — Beira
— Fighting up country — Battle of Chua — H.M.S. Magicienne
— Johnson again — Captain Ewing to the rescue — Off to
Mozambique — Mr. Grant's natives — Quilimane — Curios —
Beira again ..... Page 25

CHAPTER III

On the Pflngwe — Sixteen hours in the Shark — Hippopotami —
Crocodiles — Intense heat — 'Mpanda's — Nowhere to sleep —
Lions — Old Wilkins — Dr. Todd of the Magicienne — Fever —
Work among the natives — Camp life — The Consul — A plague
of rats — Arrival of Dr. Glanville — News from the Bishop —
Disputes among Mission workers — Livingstonian anecdote —
Sir John Willoughby and monkey-nuts — Collapse of transport
— We must walk one hundred and ninety miles — Opposition
— The enemy routed — The Portuguese commandante — A
Portuguese military hospital — Departure of Consul — Wilkins
in search of bearers — His dramatic return — No money — Lieut.
Robertson to the rescue .... 83

CHAPTER IV

The start — A "dug-out" — Missing load — A kraal — Native funeral
— On the road — Another kraal — Lions — A Portuguese break-
fast— No water — Captain Winslow — We meet two white men
— Honey-birds — Lions again — Sarmento — A native hunt —
Trouble with carriers — Forced march — Masse-Kesse — We
lose our way — Illness of Sister Aimee — At last Umtali — The
Bishop . . . . . . 119

CHAPTER V

Sabi Ophir — Illness of Dr. Glanville — Dr. Lichfield — Lieutenant

CONTENTS

Eustace Fiennes — No boots — High prices — Maquaniqua the
queen — Arrival of Mr. Sutton — Holy Communion — Captain
Heany — Sad death of Dr. Glanville — Site of the Mission
farm — Appearance of Colonel Pennefather . Page 146

CHAPTER VI

Settling down at Sabi Ophir — Difficulties of cooking — No luggage
— Gold panning — Mr. Sutton leaves the Bishop — Description
of our huts — Visit from a hyaena — Arrival of Mrs. Tulloch
and children — The question of food — Flowers — Mr. Selous
visits Umtali — Mr. Teal devoured by a lion — The native
labour question — Evils of drink — Our boxes are rifled by the
natives — Our first patient — The Administrator arrives at
Umtali — Hospital hut opened — Bishop leaves for England —
Horrors of night duty — Arrival of Mr. Rhodes — Site of camp
moved — The rains begin — Mr. and Mrs. Bent . 165

CHAPTER VII

Leaving Old for New Umtali — Our Malay boy Jonosso — "Your
Excellency's plate" — Rain — Waiting for the waggon — An
accident — Water-tight huts — Furnishing the hospital — Sister
Lucy as carpenter — The white prisoner — His thumbs tied —
Algernon Caulfield makes an arm-chair — Illness and departure
of Eustace Fiennes — Sister B. Welby and Dr. Lichfield —
Arrival of our clergyman — His strange attire — His disputes
with the Mission workers — He " chucks his orders " — Advent
of a professional baker — Sister Lucy's cake — Its effect on
Col. Pennefather — Wedding cake — The first marriage in
Manica — Keeping Christmas — The police deputation — The
cow — Sports — Magistrate and Civil Commissioner "on the
burst" — All the police arrest each other — The last man —
General amnesty — The Colonel again — "Order of the Sack"
— Good-byes . . . . 198

ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND

CHAPTER VIII

The hospital — Patients — Work — Contrivances — Project of brick
hospital — Poultry yard — Capricious hens — Mashona cows —
The bread question — Our baker— Attempts to bake himself —
A breadless community — Montague Bowden — His last game
of cricket — His illness and death — Scaring off wild beasts —
The funeral — Our dispenser "on the burst" — Opium poison-
ing— Dispenser attempts suicide — Imprisoned — Our protest —
Dispenser dismissed — Illness of Sister Lucy — Flight of natives
— A terrible week — Drink — An extraordinary bill — Departure
of magistrate — The reign of Law in Manica — Birth of first
English child in Mashonaland — Serious illness of Mrs. Tulloch
— Our huts burnt to the ground — Narrow escape of Mrs.
Tulloch — A tipsy fire brigade — Generosity — Arrival of Dr.
Matthew Johnston — Our patient saved — Christening of Cecil
Rhodes Tulloch — He leaves the hospital in triumph

Page 216

CHAPTER IX

A free day — A visit to Chiconga — Climbing a kopje — The kraal —
Gungunyama's raids — The council hut — The chieftainess and

her "warriors" — Her answer to the Bishop — We trade

Fashion amongst natives — A blind Lovelace — Instance of
ferocity — Kissing — Intelligent children — Absence of religious

notions — Differences of language — Ancient gold workings

Worship of Isis — Mosaic Law — Small-pox — Inoculation

Native vanity — Inferior iron-work — Carved snuff-boxes Fire-
sticks — Principal food — Produce — Curious calabashes — Dis-
gusting reports — Chiconga's return visit— A chief's assegai
— A demand for fire-water — A Woman's Rights argument
— The royal baby — An endless visit — Jonosso to the rescue
— The Queen retires .... 239

CONTENTS

CHAPTER X

A tale of horror — " Smelling out witches " — Maronka — His prisoner
— An expedition to rescue him — The encampment — Lions —
Native carried off — Half devoured — Horses attacked — Night
of terror — A plucky terrier — The dead lioness — Maronka
submits — Mr. Carden — Home again — Another lion story —
Vogler — Besieged by lions — A terrible situation — No water —
Rescued — Too late — Vogler's death — More lions — Siege of
Umtali — Warlike funeral — Night alarm — A reign of terror —
Township attacked — Tracked to his lair — The dead monarch
— Lying in state — At peace once more . . Page 257

CHAPTER XI

A luxury — Mr. Seymour-Fort — An eccentric drive — A luncheon
party — China versus tin — 111 - behaved guests — Moonlight —
Our carriage and pair — "Pills and Powders" — Their friend-
ship with our monkey — Warned of a snake — An execution —
Dr. Johnston departs — No doctor — A patient from Masse-
Kesse — Clark and Paget — Amusing notes — The doctor at
last — A cause celebre — Troublesome results — What's in a
name ? — Gold finds — The gold fever — Wonderful reefs — The
Queen of Sheba's kingdom . . . 279

CHAPTER XII

The hospital empty at last — An expedition proposed — We trek
to the Odzani — A picnic — Our camp by the " Slippery Drift "
— The march to M'Tassa's kraal — A wearisome delay — The
King appears — A noisy palaver — Offering a present — Kaffir
beer — The King is photographed — Bushman drawings — Re-
turn home — Cattle stealing — A warlike expedition — The
" Artillery " borrow our donkey harness — An awful old woman

xii ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND

Return of the expedition — News of the Bishop's return —
Nurses to relieve us — The Beira Railway — The Jesuit Mission
— Splendid organisation .... Page 294

CHAPTER XIII

Illness — Visit from a leopard — Tedious convalescence — Again with-
out a doctor — Arrival of the Bishop — New nurses on the way
— Their arrival at Umtali — A split in the camp — A touch-
ing deputation — Farewell to Umtali — Fever en route — In the
train — Fontesvilla — Arrival at Beira — A transformation —
Lieutenant Hussey- Walsh — Hospitality — The Consul's ball

3M

CHAPTER XIV

We leave Beira — On board the German steamer Kaiser — Dar-es-
Salaam — Evangelical Mission — Mission hospital — Emin
Pasha's daughter, Ferida — A madman on board — His strange
diet — "We can't lock up an Englishman!" — His death —
Zanzibar — The English Mission — Splendid organisation — The
hospital — On board H.M.S. Raleigh — Bishop Smythies —
Aden — The Red Sea — Untimely sausages — Mr. Wolf, the
German explorer — Port Said — Europe at last . 327

A>

CHAPTER I

Preliminary — How I became a nurse — Workhouse Infirm-
aries— Infirmary Nursing Association — Cardiff Union
Hospital — Sad state of things — Reforms — Dr. Sheen
— Night nursing begun — House surgeon — Health
gives way — Typhoid at Johannesburg — English
nurses going out — I. join them — Sister Lucy Sleeman
— From Natal to Johannesburg — Life in the " Golden
City" — Impecuniosity — Life in the Home — A ball —
Visit to a gold-mine — We leave for Kimberley — The
coach — A drunken neighbour — Kimberley — The
hospital — The diamond mines — De Beers compound
— Precautions against diamond stealing — Night duty
— We propose returning to England.

The unexpected always happens, and no-
thing happens but the unexpected !

If anyone had told me, ten years before-
hand, that the year 1890 would find me a
nurse, tending the sick in the heart of Africa,
I should have laughed the predictor to
scorn. Of all unlikely fates that might befall

B

ADVENTURES

one, that seemed the most improbable. And
a very trivial incident decided the event.

In a village near which I often stayed
was an old man suffering from cancer. I
used to go and see him. On the occasion of
one of these visits I met the doctor, and
asked if the old fellow would not be better
cared for in the Workhouse Infirmary?
Thereupon the doctor enlightened me as to
the condition of the neighbouring Union
Infirmary, pouring forth a sad tale of untrained
nursing, bad food, neglect, and sometimes
ill-treatment. He had done what he could ;
had represented matters to the guardians, and
had written to the Government Inspector, but
all to no purpose. The infirmary cost little,
and economy was the first consideration.
Humanity came a long way after.

Just then a report of the " Workhouse
Infirmary Association" fell into my hands.
This Association aimed at supplying Union
Infirmaries with trained nurses. Its report
echoed the doctor's tale of neglect.

In a very few days my resolution was

IN MASHONALAND

taken. I would be a nurse, and work for
the Association, and when I had once made
up my mind it did not take long to carry my
resolution into effect.

After a medical and surgical training, I
went through a course of midwifery, a know-
ledge of which is essential in workhouse
nursing, and, when I had obtained the London
Obstetrical Society's diploma, I applied to
the Association, stating that I wished to work
in a country workhouse. A few weeks later
I went as superintendent nurse to the Cardiff
Union Hospital.

It is not my intention to write here about
workhouse infirmaries. I will briefly state
that the Cardiff guardians were exceptionally
humane, and even liberal ; and that the
" master " was enlightened and interested in
the hospital. Yet the arrangements for
nursing the sick were incredibly bad. I had
charge of between three and four hundred
beds. My nurses were untrained ; there
were no night-nurses. Typhoids, covered
with bed sores, were left at night to the care of

,//»// A/7 A7-.V

an old \\ t nan from the "house." Pneumonia

cases, and unfortunates in the lasl slaves ol"
phthisis, had to look all< i themseh e-, I'he
fust time I wcni round with the doctor, lie

said, "Begin with die children's ward, it

smells like the den ol a wild beast !" Yet

Dr. Sheen had already improved the place

ver\ uui. h ind< . d,

The moment I, as a trained nurse, caused
ih. ,,,;■< ni want ol a nkdit nurse to he laid
before the Hoard, the) supplied the deficient \.
Dun. uiu J attendants, howevei praiseworthy,
i annot w< II jud^e ol wh.u p. .» real want,
.ind wh.u ran he done without. Kven il
then |iiJ::iii< nl is y^nu] it , allies no weight.

teen months later Cardiil I lospital had
a -a. ill ol n. micd nurses. The eaiardiaus had
i. solved to appoint a resident house surgeon.

The sick were well cared for. Dr, Sheen

would lone, before have carried out these
i. forms, il he had had an\ ti. lined nurses to
work wnh him. I count him anions; ni\ best
h i. mis.

About this time inv health be^an to break

•v m ts-:\\\ t: ix:>

down, ami 1 was ailvisoil to try a imam;o ol
work. I harm*; that aw qmlomir o! typhoiil
was ravajMm; Johannesburg, aiul that several

11 lined nurses were going out to establish a
Nurses* Home there, I resolved to join

them. Four of these ladies loft in January

iSoo 1 iml our uu'ir wvic to start in the

SjMIMjV

March, therefore, saw me hurrying to
Lisbon vid Paris. I was a bad sailor, and

wished to avoivl the terrible bay.

Rain and storm pursued me, however,
and on one of the wildest days that yet

permitted a boat to loavo tho shore. I

embarked for Africa on the Union S.S.
Spartan, The other nurse had sailed from

Southampton, ami wo met on Kuril. I ler

name was Lucy Sleeman. We have been
together ever since, and have lived through

main strange experiences.

Alter a\\ uneventful voyage wo lamloil at

Durban, Natal, of which we saw nothing,
having to hasten on to our destination. In
those days the journey could only be accom-

ADVENTURES

plished by a twelve hours' railway journey,
and about sixty hours in a coach. The
drive from Ladysmith, where the railway
ended, to the border of the Orange Free
State was lovely. The road wound up
through lofty mountain ranges, and the air
was deliciously pure and fresh. Then
followed a long monotonous journey across
the Free State, mile after mile of the same
burnt-up veldt. We nurses rejoiced indeed
when the roofs of the " Golden City "
glittered in the afternoon sun. They were
not golden roofs — far from it ! Some were
made of corrugated iron, some of biscuit
cins. But the effect was good, and the
sight welcome. It all meant a bath and a
bed, two luxuries from which we had been
severed since we left Natal.

A pretty little nurse in a neat grey cloak
and bonnet met us at the coach office. She
looked fagged, and told us she had just
recovered from typhoid. We found after-
wards that an undue share of nursing had
fallen to her lot. She slaved like a little

IN MASHONALAND

heroine amongst the typhoids, and the good
order which reigned in the little Home
Hospital was almost solely due to her exer-
tions. Her name was Sister Janet Hickman.

The Home itself was far from a desirable
place. Sister Lucy Sleeman soon went out
to a case. For five weeks she nursed a
typhoid, in a four -roomed house in which
nine people lived ! The men of the house
used to return home about five p.m., and
generally went straight to bed. For a long
time Sister Lucy could not understand the
reason of this unusual arrangement, but
finally discovered that they were almost
always tipsy. In those days the Johannes-
burgher was usually tipsy towards evening.
The "boom" was over, business was at a
standstill. Thousands of people were utterly
ruined, and many men drank to drown care.
Very few then believed that Johannesburg
would ever again recover itself, but it is now
as flourishing as in the best days of the
famous "boom."

And what an amazing place it is ! In less

ADVENTURES chap.

than two years a large city sprang up on the
bare veldt. True, some of the houses were
eccentric. When we were there in 1890
there were still houses built solely of biscuit
tins, with Huntley and Palmer's labels cling-
ing here and there. But there was also a
stately street of stone buildings, as well as a
fine Exchange. The suburb of Dornfontein,
with its well-built houses and villas, had
already united itself to the town. There
were hotels, clubs, public ballrooms, and
concert rooms. And, best of all, there was
a theatre, where the " gods " made the best
part of the entertainment with their amusing
comments on audience and stage — comments
which were delivered in the most unabashed
tones, and, as a rule, were taken good-
naturedly.

The Johannesburgher is passionately fond
of dancing, so the penniless condition of our
Home was naturally considered a good
excuse for getting up a charity ball.

Over three hundred people went, and a
special request was made that the nurses

IN MASHONALAND

should be represented. Several of them
therefore attended. They described the
proceedings as eccentric, to say the least.
Nearly all the men, who were of course in a
large majority, were very tipsy by ten o'clock.
Revolving couples cannonaded each other,
tumbled down, and could not get up again.
A Church of England clergyman played the
fiddle in the orchestra. He was attired in
the usual swallow-tail ; and wore tight black
knee breeches, silk stockings, shoes and
buckles. The next day his ungrateful flock
commented in the papers on the thinness of
his legs.

It was indeed a new and strange world —
not such a bad one, however. Whatever
may be their faults, the Johannesburghers
possess two fine virtues in an unusual degree.
Enterprise and rare generosity distinguish
them from other South African communities.
Notwithstanding the general distress they
gave lavishly to our Home, but could not
save it from bankruptcy.

Our servants, who were only black boys,

ADVENTURES

were always running away ; often there was
only one boy to do all the work of both
houses. So the sisters and nurses had to
do their own cleaning and sweeping in the
Home ; whilst two of us were in the other
house — one cleaning grates, lighting fires,
and so on ; the other in the kitchen, washing
potatoes, and generally tidying up. We en-
deavoured to make our Kaffir boy, Cornelius
Agrippa, clean saucepans. But in a very
short time he flung his saucepan down, disap-
peared into a sort of packing-case house in
the garden, and refused to move for at least
half an hour. It was amusing cooking our
own dinners, some of us being fairly good
cooks. In the middle of our dinner the
butcher's boy would arrive ; he came for his
" little cheque." We told him, as usual, that
we had no money. This happened regularly
every day. He always returned looking
quite hopeful. We used to tell him he
would be paid in the " week of the four
Thursdays." This speech caused him great
amusement, but did not damp his ardour.

IN MASHONALAND

The Home really was in a dreadful state.
We had hoped to make it a nursing centre,
and eventually have a large hospital, but
it was crippled by a large debt. When
we arrived in Johannesburg we found
only ^5 in the bank. Without money
it was only just possible to scramble along
as best one could, looking after the few
young fellows who were admitted to the
Home. We could take in eleven. These
boys — they were little more — were supposed
to pay fifteen shillings a day ; stimulants,
doctor's fees, and drugs extra. Of course
very few were ever in a position to pay.
Instead, they used to supply the Home with
boxes of chocolate creams. This, though
pleasant, was hardly practical.

Apropos of drugs, we sometimes wondered
whether the medical men were in partnership
with the chemists. One never saw anything
to compare with the patients' prescription
boards. They were really curiosities of litera-
ture ! It was astonishing that any enteric
case, swallowing such a quantity of horrible

i2 ADVENTURES

stuff, and changing his medicines nearly
every day, should have survived. Yet some
of them did recover in spite of the treatment.
About twenty per cent died. Of course there
were exceptions. Several distinguished
doctors were in practice at Johannesburg,
but in those days were in a small minority.

Sister Lucy, myself, and two other English
nurses, moved heaven and earth to escape
from the place. This was not so easy.
Distances are enormous in Africa, and the
smallest move is very costly. At last, after
much correspondence, the doors of Kimberley
Hospital were opened to us, and we prepared
to leave Johannesburg after a sojourn of less
than six months.

Before leaving we drove out to the
cemetery, where the husband of a friend of
ours lay buried. She was in England, and
had begged me to take a few flowers to his
grave. What a sad, sad sight it was ! There,
within a small space, their graves simply
numbered, lay hundreds of young English-
men and a number of young women. I

i IN MASHONALAND 13

think that not more than two or three of
them were past forty when they died. By
far the larger number were between twenty
and twenty-eight. It was most affecting,
too, to see long, long rows of tiny graves,
suggestive of such heart-breaking sorrow.
The mortality amongst women and children
had been terrible. " When I came up here,"
said a doctor to me, "the women were
literally dying like rotten sheep. One never
expected to get a confinement safely over."
I think we were all glad to turn our backs
on that cemetery, feeling grateful surprise
that none of our number were to be left
behind there.

An interesting visit to a gold-mine occu-
pied our last day in Johannesburg. The
"Robinson mine" was then the most flourish-
ing on the Rand. It was lighted by electric
light, and its battery was one of the sights
of the town. As we alighted from our Cape
cart at the door of the manager's house, he
courteously welcomed us, and took us to the
shaft, down which we were to descend. It

14 ADVENTURES

looked rather alarming, the darkness was so
intense. Where was the electric light?
Certainly nowhere at hand. The darkness
of the shaft looked actually solid. Muster-
ing up courage, we got into a sort of iron
cage with open sides, and, clinging to each
other, were let down into the abyss. After
descending for a few seconds one feels as if
one was going up again. Then one seems
to stand still. This is a dreadful sensation.
One imagines the cage toNbe really stationary,
and that it will be impossible ever to ascend
again. Happily these fancies do not last
long. We soon found ourselves at the
bottom of the shaft, and stood in a long sub-
terranean passage or gallery, along which a
small tramway ran. In the dim distance a
tiny lamp gleamed. This was the electric
light. It might have been a night light.

Where was the gold ? We saw nothing
but mud and rock. Greatly to our dis-
appointment we were informed that no gold
could be seen. The trucks which natives
pushed along the tram-lines were full of

IN MASHONAIAND

quartz. This dirty - looking rubbish was
worth immense sums. We wandered through
many of these galleries, and at last, not a
little wet and muddy, returned to the light
of day.

We now proceeded to the battery, a
wonderful place.

In an enormous shed rose, one above the
other, a succession of platforms. On the top-
most platform a long line of steam hammers
rose and fell with rhythmical swing and
crash. Night and day they crushed the
quartz, which, arriving incessantly in trucks,
was precipitated into the machines. By-and-
by it poured forth from them in a stream of
finest powder. This stream was directed on
to huge plates covered with mercury, which
occupy the second platform. Water con-
tinually flows over these plates, washing
away the quartz. Gold mingles with the
mercury, forming a substance called "amal-
gam." The lower platforms are occupied by
similar plates of mercury, which catch any
gold that may have been washed away with

1 6 ADVENTURES

the quartz. The residue of the quartz-dust
flows away into a sort of swamp. This
residue is called " tailings." We were shown
a patch of " tailings," and told it was worth
^200,000 at least.

The next process is to retort the " amal-
gam," separating it from the gold. This
latter is finally melted, and flows into brick-
shaped moulds. We saw there gold bricks
worth ^2000 each. The assayer also showed
us his scales. These were literally adjusted
to a hair ; for he pulled a hair from his beard
and showed us how its weight was accurately
measured. In an incredibly short time the
slightest inaccuracy in the scales would make
an important difference in the gold returns.

The manager offered us a cup of tea, and
then took us to see the white men's quarters.
These were very comfortable. There was a
well-lit messroom, in which the messboys
were laying the table, very tidily ; a reading-
room, and a well-filled library.

One of the employes told us that, with a
little common-sense, a man could save from

i IN MASHONALAND 17

ten to fifteen pounds a month. The higher
employes could save much more. The
work chiefly consisted in superintending
gangs of native boys. A doctor belonging
to the mine looked after the sick.

The work seemed pleasanter and better
paid than that of clerks in offices at home.
Once off duty you were as good as your
neighbour. You could go to any of the
balls or concerts given in Johannesburg.
There were little or no caste divisions.
Barmaids and shop girls skipped about at
the balls. Why not? The wives of the
" upper ten " had many of them been bar-
maids and shop girls not so very long ago.
Besides all this, a lucky find might make any
miner a rich man in the twinkling of an eye.

At last the hour of our departure from the
" Golden City " struck. The stars were still
bright in the heavens as we said good-bye to
the Nurses' Home, and hurried through
sleeping Johannesburg to catch the Kimber-
ley coach. We were on foot ; our luggage
had been sent on the day before,
c

1 8 ADVENTURES chap.

The coach was of the good old-fashioned
type, and a great improvement on the spring-
less waggonette which had brought us from
Natal. It was somewhat the worse for wear,
having been brought in its old age from
California. Bret Harte's chivalrous ruffians
had probably travelled by it. This appealed
to one's imagination, and made one forget its
air of dilapidation.

We stowed ourselves away each in a
corner. The remaining space was filled by
men, none of them very slim, and one enor-
mously fat. When the sun rose the heat
and stuffiness may be imagined. We were
packed like sardines in a box. The very fat
man sat between Sister Lucy and me. He
turned out the best of the lot after all, taking
great care of our comfort, and spending long
hours in the blazing heat and clouds of dust
on the top of the coach to give us more
room. His name was Ross. We began by
thirsting for his blood, and ended by thinking
him a capital fellow.

We left Johannesburg with a team of ten

i IN MASHONALAND 19

horses. Every hour and a half we halted
and changed the team. At every halt the
men got out and drank. No wonder! If I
had been a man no doubt I should have
done the same. But noblesse oblige ! We
were women ; therefore we smiled amiably
at heat, thirst, cramp, and general discomfort.
We declared it wasn't half bad, and privately
wished we had never been born. Sister
Lucy suffered most. She is tall, and her
legs would not fit in anywhere.

The coach, with its outside passengers
and its miserable twelve inside, rumbled
along, and at three o'clock in the afternoon
brought us to a quaint little Dutch village
called Potscherfstrom. Here we rested and
refreshed ourselves for an hour. Then on
again till eight, when we reached another
village. Here we remained till two o'clock
in the morning, resting meanwhile on some
very dubious - looking beds. Away then
through cool moonlight and blazing day,
doing close on twenty hours with only an
hour's rest. Sister Lucy got outside in the

2o ADVENTURES

moonlight, and drove us into Christiana at a
rattling pace, the last team of horses being
in first-rate form. We reached Christiana at
half-past ten at night, and were conducted to
two small outhouses. Sister Lucy and I
took one, the other two nurses the other.
The place was unspeakably dirty. We
spread our rugs over the beds and lay down.
At one end of the room a thin muslin
curtain hung over an opening in the wall
apparently leading to a large cupboard.
Towards three in the morning we were
awakened by a great noise in the yard out-
side. Strange yells and scraps of songs were
followed by scuffling and the sound of a
heavy fall, apparently in the cupboard next
our room — then silence. We dozed a little.
Then I said, " It must be nearly five." To
our horror a tipsy voice answered from the
other side of the muslin curtain, " Notsh
fivesh, foursh ; foursh, I tellsh you." There
was another entrance to the cupboard, which
was a small room, and the noisy tipsy man
had been pushed in there !

i IN MASHONALAND 21

We fled madly to the other nurses, and
were very glad indeed to be whirled away
in the coach without our tipsy neighbour.
In a few hours we reached a railway station,
and a train quickly carried us to Kimberley.

The Hospital is rather a rambling place.
The part devoted to European patients,
nurses' dining-room, kitchen, and offices,
formed a long low bungalow set in the midst
of pleasant grounds. Close at hand, but
scattered irregularly over a large compound,
were the native wards — surgical, medical,
women, and lock — each at some distance
from the other. The nurses' home was a
building apart. The nurses' rooms were
built round a flowery quadrangle. Each
nurse possessed a little cell, which opened on
a shady verandah, or " stoep," as it is called
in Africa.

Setting aside the nursing work, I believe
that few hospitals in London could com-
pete successfully with the commissariat of
Kimberley Hospital. The seclusion and
austere respectability of this institution af-

22 ADVENTURES chap.

forded a welcome change after the shiftless
scramble of the Johannesburg Home.

Kimberley was the African " Golconda,"
just as Johannesburg was the " Golden City."
Therefore as soon as our work permitted we
paid a visit to the De Beers diamond mine.
Warned, however, by our underground ex-
periences at the Robinson mine, we refused
to leave the light of day. We saw countless
numbers of trucks full of blue clay, in which
the diamonds are imbedded. Then there are
the rooms where the diamonds are sorted.
Unusual specimens are kept on show. But we
thought nothing so interesting as the great
compound.

This is a wide space within a great
stockade about twelve feet high. Strong
wire netting was fastened above, so that it
looked like a monstrous aviary. Here the
natives who work in the mines live, to the
number of I am afraid to say how many
hundreds. They engage to work in the
mine for a term of months, agreeing to re-
main prisoners for that period. They sleep

i IN MASHONALAND 23

in sheds round the compound, have shops
where they can buy what they choose, and
dens where they smoke a sort of narcotic
plant — in its effects not unlike Indian hemp.
All these precautions are taken to prevent
the diamonds from being stolen. But for the
wire the men would throw the stones over
the stockade. As it is they contrive to steal
some. The difficulty is to get their spoil out
of the compound. A day or two before their
time expires they are carefully searched.
Strong medicines are also administered in
case they should have swallowed a diamond.
A native, however, is very cunning. Some
of them have been known to push their stolen
stones carefully into a cleft in the stockade.
When dismissed, they idle about on the veldt
outside the compound, and gradually scratch
the jewels out. This process is so difficult
and dangerous that the losses of the Company
are few, considering the large number of
miners employed by them. Notwithstanding
their imprisonment the natives seemed very
jolly. Some of them were fine-looking men,

24 ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND chap, i

of a higher type than the multitude. We
heard that great chiefs in the interior sent
their " indunas," or headmen, sometimes
their own sons, to work in the mine in order
that they might steal diamonds for them.

We remained six months at Kimberley,
and then the work began to tell on me. I
was the night superintendent, and had to go
from ward to ward in all weathers. I was
often wet through, and of course had to
remain wet until morning. The compound
was large and unlit. Here and there were
large holes, which after rain were filled with
water. Into these holes one invariably
stumbled when in a hurry. Apart from this,
continuous night duty does not suit all consti-
tutions.

After consulting together, Sister Lucy and
I agreed to go home together, and looked
forward to enjoying an English summer.
We little dreamt at that time that we were
destined to remain two years longer in Africa.
Instead of being at the end, we were scarcely
at the beginning of our African experiences.

CHAPTER II

Leave Kimberley — Hear of Bishop Knight Bruce — Offer to
go to Mashonaland — Tickets to England — Miss the
train — A day outside Kimberley — Bishop's telegram —
Off to Cape Town — Meet Bishop — Settle to join
Mission — Leave the Roslyn Castle — Mr. Maund
— Decide to go via Pungwe — Plans changed —
Stop at Durban — Canon Booth — Indian Mission —
Bishop off to Maritzburg — Lodging hunting — Durban
and its inhabitants — Visit to house of Jamieson— Mos-
quitoes— Kaffir huts — Indian service — Bishop returns
— Leaves for Beira without us — "Major" Johnson —
Dr. Doyle Glanville — Off at last — Fellow-passengers —
Inhambane — The Queen's health — Beira — Fighting
up country — Battle of Chua — H.M.S. Magicienne—
Johnson again — Captain Ewing to the rescue — Oft
to Mozambique — Mr. Grant's natives — Quilimane —
Curios — Beira again.

In the spring of 1891, therefore, Sister Lucy
Sleeman and I were getting ready for our
homeward journey, and expecting to be back
in England in a few weeks. At that time
the Chartered Company's expedition to
Mashonaland was in everyone's mouth. A

26 ADVENTURES chap.

concession had been obtained from Loben-
gula, the great Matabele chief, and pioneers
and police were in the heart of the country.

Wonderful reports came from Mashona-
land to the colony. We heard of grass ten
feet high, of trees sixty feet in circumference,
of mysterious ruins. The whole country
was said to be one vast gold-reef. But the
way from Cape Town to Mashonaland was
long and perilous. Swamps, which exhaled
poisonous vapours, had to be traversed.
Swollen rivers, swarming with crocodiles, had
to be crossed. Boats and canoes were not
to be procured, the men were forced to swim
across. Oxen fell sick, and died by the
score on the long trek. Fever ravaged the
pioneers.

Under these circumstances the Company
were endeavouring to make a new and
shorter route to the interior. For this pur-
pose steamers were to run from Durban to
the Pungwe — a large river between Mozam-
bique and Delagoa Bay. At the mouth of
it was a small Portuguese station called

ii IN MASHONALAND 27

Beira. It was supposed that the Pungwe
would be navigable for nearly one hundred
miles, and that a road from thence to Fort
Salisbury, the capital of Mashonaland, could
be easily made.

The Chartered Company had seized
Manica, or South-East Mashonaland. This
territory was claimed by Portugal, but not
much importance was attached to the claim.
M'Tassa, the native king of Manica, had
given a concession to the Chartered Com-
pany. Everyone in Kimberley was either
going himself to Mashonaland, via the
Pungwe, or had a friend or relation going
up ; and when it became known in the
Hospital that the Bishop of Bloemfontein had
given up this diocese for that of Mashona-
land, considerable interest was aroused.

In a short time we were told that Dr.
Knight Bruce wished to take nurses up to
his new diocese, where he projected estab-
lishing several hospitals. However, the
Mission the Bishop was organising was poor.
The hospital scheme appeared likely to fall

28 ADVENTURES chap.

through for want of funds. It seemed a
pity. After some discussion with other
nurses, Sister Lucy Sleeman and I volun-
teered to go with Dr. Knight Bruce. A
third nurse offered to accompany us if the
Mission could pay her £\o a year. This
was, considering the undertaking, a nominal
salary, but circumstances forbade her going
without any remuneration at all. After
some delay the Bishop's answer came. He
said we were mistaken in supposing that
his hospital project had failed. He thanked
us for our offer, but all his arrangements
were completed. I can honestly say I was
much relieved, and took our passages to
England with unalloyed pleasure.

The morning of our departure came, and
we set off in the highest spirits.

But our adieus had been too prolonged.
As we reached the station we just caught a
glimpse of our train puffing out of it.
There was not another to be had for twenty-
four hours. Lamentations were futile. We
left our luggage at the station and drove out

ii IN MASHONALAND 29

to a house, half inn, half farm, where we
could lunch and while away the time till
evening.

The inn was not unpicturesquely situated
in the midst of the dreary desert plain that sur-
rounds Kimberley. A few good-sized trees
afforded shade. A small stream of water
trickled over great granite boulders, falling
with a pleasant splash into a pool. As we
sat after luncheon beside this pool, I re-
member saying that Africa was a difficult
place to escape from. It was like a huge
devil-fish. Once it caught you, escape was
impossible. For my part I felt as if we
should never get away. My companions
laughed at the notion. They said our
tickets to England were like amulets, and
would break the evil spell. Unless we missed
a train every day for a week we could not
miss our ship. In spite of these excellent
arguments events proved that I was right,
and I cling to the belief that for once I had
a real presentiment.

On our way back to our Kimberley hotel

3o ADVENTURES chap-

we called at the post-office to see if any
letters had arrived for us. There fate over-
took us in the shape of a telegram from the
Bishop, asking us to join him. I urged a
refusal. "He who will not when he may,
when he will he shall have nay," seemed to
me the spirit in which to answer. Finally a
compromise was effected, and we telegraphed
to say we would meet Dr. Knight Bruce at
Cape Town, and consider the possibility of
accepting his proposals.

The Bishop, in fact, appeared at Poole's
Hotel, Cape Town, the day after our arrival.
We found him comparatively young for a
Bishop, not much past forty, very pleasant and
persuasive, and with an exceptional talent for
getting out of a room well — a much rarer
gift this than one might suppose. The
Bishop's exits were always effective ; he
evanesced rather than went, always at the
right moment, and left behind him a little
hush, in which one would place a note of
admiration.

We told him we had heard that his plans

ii IN MASHONALAND 31

were somewhat indefinite. On this point he
reassured us. He said that in the disturbed
state of Mashonaland and Manica, with the
Portuguese question coming to a crisis, a cut
and dried plan of action was impossible. He
wished to go to Port Beira and up the
Pungwe, and thence by waggon to Salisbury,
where fever was rife. He could not feel sure
whether we should manage an hospital estab-
lished by the Mission, or the Company's
hospital ; he believed the latter. This per-
haps sounded somewhat indefinite. He had
engaged a first-rate doctor, who was daily ex-
pected ; he had his builder, a man who had
been with Livingstone ; his carpenter, and
others. A clergyman and some other young
missionaries would take his waggon up by
the long trek, from Cape Town or Natal, to
Salisbury. The Bishop had his own medical
stores ; the Company had large stores already
up there. We should require to think of
nothing but a personal outfit. We told him
that though we were not at all "fine," and
were quite ready to do anything that might

32 ADVENTURES chap.

want doing, as far as we could, yet we were
unsuited physically for such work as "dag-
hering" huts or "smearing floors" — that is,
plastering walls with a mixture of mud, water,
straw, and cowdung ; and smoothing a sort
of liquid manure over floors, which hardens,
and can be swept and kept clean. We had
heard at Kimberley that "daghering" and
" smearing " would be essential parts of our
work.

Dr. Knight Bruce again reassured us on
this point, saying there would not be any such
rough work, as it would all be done by
natives. We should have a white cook and
orderly, at least for the first year. He had
been a ship's steward, and we should find him
most useful. Later on we could make other
arrangements according to circumstances.
These points being settled, the Bishop asked
us to engage ourselves to the Mission for one
year ; but, after some discussion, in which we
pointed out to him that it would be impossible
to do much towards establishing an hospital
in one year, it was settled that we should give

ii IN MASHONALAND 33

our services for two years, and that the
Mission should pay our passages back to
England at the end of that time.

The next few days were one continual
rush and hurry to get an outfit in time. It
was of great interest to us to see our tent, a
charming marquee, and think of living in it ;
and to note all the preparations for a real
campaign in the interior of Africa. By the
1 6th of April, 1891, our purchases were made,
and we embarked in the Roslyn Castle, en
route for the Pungwe. This river, as yet un-
explored, and sometimes known as the Aruan-
gua, was said to be navigable for small
steamers, at least as far as seventy miles from
its mouth at Beira. It was proposed to take the
pioneers this distance up the river ; establish
a camp for the storing of goods ; and convey
them by waggon and coaches, drawn by trot-
ting bullocks, as far as Salisbury, a distance
of about four hundred miles. A Road Com-
pany had been formed for this purpose, the
road being supposed to be already completed.

The Bishop having decided on going to

34 ADVENTURES

Port Elizabeth by train and joining us there,
we were taken on board our steamer by the
well-known Mr. Maund. This charming
traveller had already gone up to Mashona-
land by the inland trek, immediately after the
first pioneers had opened up the country ;
had visited Lobengula, the great Matabele
King ; and had had the honour of taking his
indunas to England, and presenting them to
the Queen. He told us that Gordon Pasha
had been one of his dearest friends, and that
illness alone had prevented him from making
his way to Khartoum. Mr. Maund im-
pressed us as being one of those delightful
people who invariably secure the best cabins
in ships, and the best boxes at the play, and
have the best appliances in every emergency.
He gave us some useful information about
modes of life up country, predicting our safe
arrival there via the Pungwe, in spite of the
Portuguese difficulty. Questioned as to this,
he said it might be briefly summed up as a
dispute between Portugal and the British
South Africa Company about the possession

ii IN MASHONALAND 35

of Manica, or South-East Mashonaland. He
supposed that the Portuguese had been the
first to explore that province, but they had
not colonised it, nor had they any concessions
from the existing chiefs. If they had, Mr.
Rhodes would " square it." We afterwards
found this to be a sort of watchword in
Africa. Whatever happens, people shrug
their shoulders and say : "It will be all right,
Rhodes will square it."

After a pleasant dinner Mr. Maund went
on shore, and the Roslyn steamed majestic-
ally out to sea. On the 18th of April we
arrived at Port Elizabeth, one of the most
uninteresting, colourless towns it is possible
to imagine, though I believe the country
round about is beautiful, and from some of
the heights near the town we caught exquisite
glimpses of sea and distant hills. We had to
wait at this wearisome place till Monday
evening. The Bishop arrived just at dark,
and the bay was so rough that there was
some difficulty about getting him on board.
Hardly was this effected when the anchor

36 ADVENTURES

was raised, and we soon saw the lights of
Port Elizabeth disappear in the distance.

Next day the Bishop told us there was
really no chance of our being able to go
to Beira and up the Pungwe. Sir John
Willoughby and some of the Company's
people had been fired at by the Portuguese,
and were obliged to return to Natal. We
should go by train from Natal to Maritzburg,
and thence by post-cart and waggon to our
destination.

This was disappointing ; we had looked
forward to travelling by an entirely new route,
and had heard great things of the Pungwe as
a beautiful river on whose banks lions stood
and roared, but always at a safe distance.
However there appeared to be no help for it,
so we resigned ourselves to the inevitable.

On Wednesday the 22nd we reached
Durban. The long line of green, monotonous
coast had not prepared us for anything so
beautiful. Indeed we were delighted with
Durban. The bay is dotted with islands
and picturesque mangrove growths, whilst

ii IN MASHONALAND 37

the wooded heights of Berea form a lovely
background to the town.

We nurses went to the Royal Hotel, where
all the service is done by Indians, swathed in
muslin and bare-footed, and giving a charm-
ing suggestion of Orientalism. The Bishop
was put up by Canon Booth, doctor and
missionary, one of the most interesting
people it has been my fortune to meet in
Africa.

The next day we had to unpack every-
thing, and repack in the smallest possible
compass for post-cart travelling. We were
to start for Maritzburg at three in the after-
noon. At one the Bishop came and said we
could not leave till next day. I told him I
had a presentiment that we should go by the
Pungwe after all ; and, although he said this
was quite impossible, still it appeared to me
that very probably the Willoughby incident
would bring matters to a crisis. And as the
Portuguese were hardly likely to embark on
a war with England, the result would be
an understanding between England and

38 ADVENTURES chap.

Portugal, and the route to Manica would be
thrown open.

As if to justify my presentiment, the
Bishop came to us on the 24th, and told us
that our places were taken in train and
coach, but that he had given up the land
route, and was going to make a push for
the Pungwe after all. The reason of this
complete change of front was that he had
met a man who had just arrived from
Mashonaland, and said that he had left there
last December. He had been four months
on the journey, and described the routes as in
a terrible state, owing to the worst rainy
season that had been known for many years.
Many trekkers, he said, had been forced to
abandon their waggons on the banks of
impassable rivers. So it appeared to be
better to wait at Durban until the Pungwe
route was open.

A certain Johnson had obtained a contract
for transport from Beira to Mashonaland, and
had formed a Road Company. There was
a pioneer camp on the Pungwe called

ii IN MASHONALAND 39

'Mpanda's, and from there the Road Com-
pany's waggons were to start. A road was
in process of construction, and nearly
finished. A fast coach would also run from
'Mpanda's to Salisbury, by which we could
reach the latter place in ten days.

In spite of the prospect of a tedious delay
at Durban, we rejoiced over this plan, and
hoped it would prove more stable than the
others. That same afternoon, however, we
had another visit from the Bishop. He
came to tell us that he thought it useless to
wait, and that we must be ready to start for
Beira next morning in the Venice. He
believed that by the time we reached the
Pungwe the Portuguese difficulty would be
disposed of. We hastened to make all the
needful arrangements, and it was a great
disappointment when the Bishop reappeared
that same evening, and said he thought it
would be better to let the Venice go without
us. She would touch at several ports and
take ten days to get to Beira. The Norse-
man would go in eight or ten days' time,

4o ADVENTURES

reaching Beira in four days. The Bishop
intended spending the interval at Maritzburg,
and proposed to take us there also, leaving us
with a sisterhood, whilst he stayed with the
Governor. By this time we were much
bewildered by the constant changes of
plan, and began to think we should never
arrive anywhere. We were, therefore, not
much surprised when the next morning he
suggested our staying at Durban, instead of
going to Maritzburg with him.

The hotel being very dear, Canon Booth's
sister kindly called for us to go lodging
hunting.

Our first experience was a strange one.
We went by tram to the top of the Berea
heights, catching most exquisite glimpses
of the town and bay. We stopped at a
boarding house which was said to be ex-
tremely "refined and elegant." The cream
of the shipping-agency clerks would there
find "home comforts and intellectual con-
versation " for a moderate price. The
mistress of this abode received us in a

ii IN MASHONALAND 41

tea gown, in the midst of a confusion of
antimacassars, scent bottles, fans, and all sorts
of odds and ends. She allowed us to see a
very dirty room next a stable, in which a
coloured man was sleeping, and told us we
must keep a light burning all night on account
of the swarms of rats. She thought we
could all sleep in it ''somehow," and was
much shocked to find that, although we were
"nursing sisters," we did not think this
accommodation sufficient. But we felt that
we should have unavoidable opportunities
for mortifying the flesh later on, and that it
would, therefore, be useless to make our-
selves uncomfortable on purpose. So, saying
good-bye to the presiding genius, we set out
in search of something cleaner, if less intel-
lectual ; and were fortunate enough to dis-
cover a dear, simple Scotchwoman, by name
Miss Wright, who had a background of
brooms and dusters, instead of fans and scent
bottles. Here we established ourselves
that very evening.

The next day was Sunday, remarkable

42 ADVENTURES chap.

only for one of the longest, weariest, and
dullest sermons it has ever been my fate to
endure, which we heard at St. Cyprian's, the
most important church in Durban. A walk
home by the exquisite moonlight somewhat
compensated for the hour and a half in the
hot, stuffy church. The effect of light and
shade, as we passed along an avenue of
feathery bamboos was indescribable, a
thing to feel and dream about.

Our uniforms attracted a good deal of
attention, quiet as they were — the cross
which the Bishop wished us to wear making
them more conspicuous than they otherwise
would have been. The fact, too, that we
were bound for Mashonaland made us
objects of general and very kindly interest.
Everyone who had the slightest acquaint-
ance with our hostess called, and requested
her to bring us to call.

Some of these ladies had most charming
houses, built here and there along the Berea
heights. We were specially delighted with
the house of a Mrs. Ballance, a fascinating

ii IN MASHONALAND 43

old lady, still extremely handsome, with a
quiet, dignified manner — a refreshing change
after the somewhat emphatic colonial cor-
diality. From the terrace of her house we
looked down on a waving mass of tree tops.
In the middle distance, sweeping in long
curves round the bay, the white houses of
Durban glittered in the evening sunlight.
The bay itself lay absolutely still — not a
ripple breaking its vivid blue-green colour ;
whilst the distant shipping out in the open,
with here and there a glint of foaming
breakers, gave animation to the scene.

One's first impression at Durban is that
one can never leave it again, and that life in
the midst of its dreamy beauty must be ideal.
But after a few days one realises that it is
always the same view — a beautiful but mono-
tonous effect of light and colour ; and one
longs for barren and rocky shores.

Possibly the plague of mosquitoes has
some influence in breaking the spell. Sister
Lucy Sleeman and I appeared to be small-
pox patients. We were literally swollen out

44 ADVENTURES

of all resemblance to human beings. The
mosquito curtain indeed protected us some-
what at night, but the insatiable mosquitoes
devoured us all day long. We were told
that an excellent remedy was to burn Keat-
ing's powder on a shovel. We did so, but
only succeeded in giving ourselves violent
headaches, accompanied by vomiting and
general discomfort ; whilst the mosquitoes
went to sleep for an hour or two, and woke
up like giants refreshed.

The British South Africa's agent at
Durban, Mr. Jamieson, asked us to go to
his house at Bellair, about twenty minutes
by train from Durban. So we set out one
morning, and arriving at the Bellair station,
found Mrs. Jamieson there to meet us. She
was most kind and cordial. The house, sur-
rounded by a lovely garden, commanded fine
inland views of wooded hills and undulating
plains. We were glad to lose sight of the
perpetual sea view. The garden, which we
explored after luncheon, was rilled with every
sort of strange flowering shrub and tree,

ii IN MASHONALAND 45

collected from all parts of Africa. Mrs.
Jamieson was devoted to her garden ; each
plant seemed to be a special friend, and to
receive special care, with the happiest results.
A hedge of martinguelas — at that time partly
covered with fruit and partly with its white
starlike blossoms, which exhale a strong
perfume, something like that of a gardenia
— shut off the garden from some Kaffir huts,
built exactly like the native hut, untouched
by civilisation. We crept into one of them,
and examined its beehive shape and smooth,
hard, earthen floor with much interest, as
huts like these would probably be our home
for the next year at least. On the whole we
concluded that it was odd, but not half bad,
and that it would be possible to make a
patient tolerably comfortable in such a sur-
rounding. We did not return to Durban till
late that evening.

On Saturday, the 2nd of May, the Bishop
returned to Durban, and preached at St.
Cyprian's on the following Sunday. In the
afternoon we all went down to St. Aiden's,

46 ADVENTURES

the church of the Indian Mission. Few
things at Durban are more interesting than
this Mission. Canon Booth, who is its
founder, was at one time a doctor practis-
ing in India. Taking orders, and settling at
Durban, he has devoted his life, energies,
and fortune to the services of the Indians of
Durban. A large room — half study, half
surgery — is attached to the group of church
and schools, and here the Canon looks after
the physical well-being of his flock. The
service was conducted in an Indian dialect,
and a very intelligent-looking Indian deacon
preached.

The language did not strike us as being
harmonious, but the gestures of the preacher
were so graphic, and his features so animated,
that it was really possible to get at the drift
of his sermon. The singing was monoton-
ous and barbaric beyond expectation. Poor
as the church was, its very poverty appealed
to one's imagination more than do many
more splendid churches. The Indian women,
delightfully draped in many coloured stuffs,

ii IN MASHONALAND 47

looked like so many Old Testament illustra-
tions, and suggested a shadowy background
of palm-tree, desert, and camel.

After service we had a sort of picnic tea
in the surgery. The Canon outside his work
is as full of fun as a boy, as, indeed, most
" all round " men are, and we amused our-
selves very well, till the fading light reminded
us that it was time to get back home.

We had a long talk with the Bishop next
day. It was settled that we were to go with
him by the Norseman on the 6th of May.
He looked very fit, and was in excellent
spirits, having enjoyed himself much at
Maritzburg. Of course we rejoiced greatly
at the near prospect of leaving. We ex-
pected to reach Beira in three or four days,
and to find the waggons and coaches of
Johnsons Road Company at 'Mpanda's,
seventy miles up the river. Our hostess on
the Berea declared herself very sorry to lose
us. She, however, entered into the spirit of
our venture, and procured us lessons in
bread-making. Sister B. Welby, who was

48 ADVENTURES chap.

with us, and who knew something of baking
in the ordinary way, went to some people
who were accustomed to trek over the veldt,
and was initiated in the mysteries of bread-
making in an iron pot, over an open-air fire.
Unfortunately her experience was not of much
use to us. She left us a few months after,
as will appear later on.

The long waited for Wednesday dawned
at last, but, alas ! the Norseman was not
ready. She would sail the next day. It
seemed to our impatient fancy that these
delays would never end. To occupy our-
selves we went to see the Durban Hospital.
We were much shocked by its dirty, dis-
orderly wards. Dirty dressings were lying
about, clothes lay on the floor near the beds,
the nurses were invisible, and an atmosphere
of complicated unpleasantness seemed to
pervade the whole place. No doubt all this
has long since been reformed. We heard
that there had been many complaints about
the hospital, and no wonder. No one in-
terested in hospital work could see such a

ii IN MASHONALAND 49

place without a feeling of intense depression.
But I write of over two years ago, and since
then I hear that Lady Mitchell's trained
nurses have given nursing in Natal an im-
petus in the right direction.

Thursday, the 7th of May, was a sadly
eventful day. We were up betimes, and
sent our luggage down to the boat. We
were to follow towards midday. But at half-
past nine in the morning we received a
hurried summons from the Bishop, requesting
us to join him as soon as possible at the
Royal Hotel, where we should meet Mr.
Johnson, the manager of the Road Company.

Full of unpleasant presentiments, Sister
Lucy Sleeman and I hurried to the hotel,
the third sister declaring herself unequal to
the interview. Arrived at the hotel, we
found the Bishop alone, and seemingly much
disturbed. He said he feared we could not
go with him, that he must go alone, and that
we should be able to follow in about a
month !

I cannot describe the despair we felt at
E

50 ADVENTURES chap.

this announcement. We must have shown
very great discouragement, for the Bishop
begged us not to allow our very natural dis-
appointment to damp our zeal for the work.
He said he had discussed the matter
exhaustively with Mr. Johnson, and we
should see this person ourselves, and hear
all he had to say.

Mr. or " Major " Johnson, as he elected
to call himself, then appeared. He was a
dark, somewhat stout man ; seemingly good-
natured ; and with a rather noisy, jovial
manner, which probably does him good
service in the many unpleasant emergencies
which a habit of romancing on all occasions
necessarily create in the long-run, — withal, I
believe, a staunch friend and a man of ex-
ceeding energy.

He made the following statement, which
proved to be so entirely without foundation,
that if it had not been written in my Diary
within an hour of its having been made,
I should feel it impossible to believe that
I had heard it : —

ii IN MASHONALAND 51

" The officer in charge of the road-making
department in Mashonaland," he said, "has
indeed made his road, but, unfortunately, he
has directed his road to a river seventy miles
south of the Pungwe, instead of taking it to
the Pungwe as directed. This river is called
the Sabe. It has therefore been necessary
to cut a road through one hundred miles of
bush, in order to unite the Pungwe to the
existing road, the additional twenty miles
being caused by the swamps, which it is
needful to avoid." Major Johnson then pro-
ceeded to say that if we went up with the
Norseman we should have to spend ten days
on the Pungwe in an open lighter, crowded
with white men and with natives, who were
to be engaged in road -making. He said
there was really no accommodation for
women, and that the swampy nature of the
banks of the Pungwe would make it impos-
sible for us to have our tent pitched and live
on shore.

Of course, disappointed as we were, it was
impossible not to see that if we insisted on

ADVENTURES

going with the Norseman, we should not only
be useless, but a trouble and hindrance, and
should find ourselves in an altogether impos-
sible position. So, having to yield, we did it
with the best grace we could muster. Major
Johnson and the Bishop hoped that we might
perhaps be able to get away on the 16th of
May. They assured us that when we got to
Beira we should find a small steamer, the
Agnes, ready to take us up to the pioneer
camp, where the waggons would be in readi-
ness, and a considerable portion of the road
finished. The Bishop's doctor — Dr. Doyle
Glanville — who was daily expected, would
travel with us.

Dr. Knight Bruce seemed somewhat de-
pressed by the continual obstacles which
cropped up unceasingly. He said he counted
on our " cheery courage," and of course we
were very anxious to make as few difficulties
as possible. Still the prospect of being
left behind, we three women, to make our
way into the interior with an entirely un-
known man, could not fail to make us feel

ii IN MASHONALAND 53

anxious and troubled. By way of raising our
spirits, too, Major Johnson told us that the
whole country was in a state of convulsion ;
that "rebel" Portuguese troops defied the
control of the Governor of Mozambique, and
persisted in attacking the English ; and that
fighting was expected beyond Masse- Kesse.
In point of fact, the Portuguese troops were
not at all mutinous; no news of a modus
vivendi had penetrated into the interior, and
Portuguese and English were preparing to
fight in earnest. It is not altogether surprising
that, as we saw the Norseman steam away, we
felt very forlorn indeed, and I think a few
futile tears were shed.

Day after day slipped by in monotonous
succession. From time to time rumours of
fighting up country reached us, and on all
sides we were assailed by entreaties to return
home, and give up an attempt which would
prove fruitless. In the shops the people who
served us with a biscuit or a yard of ribbon
would ask if we really meant to go to
Mashonaland, and advise us not to do so.

54 ADVENTURES

Often we were stopped by women, who would
say with tears, " Sister, my son (or brother)
is up in Mashonaland — take care of him if
you meet him." An old man in a tram-car
was so pathetic over our future fate, that
Sister Lucy was beginning to be quite touched,
when our friend suddenly lurched forwards
and fell under the seat. We then discovered
that he was extremely tipsy, and were very
much ashamed of having listened to him.
One evening, as all three of us were taking
a constitutional outside Durban, some old
people, who were driving a sort of gig, stopped
and asked us if we were really off to Mashona-
land. They seemed to think we were start-
ing then and there — walking off without
escort or luggage ! We reassured them with
some difficulty, and explained that, when we
did leave, it would be very comfortably in a
steamer.

On the 15th of May Dr. Doyle Glanville
appeared. He was a tall, soldierly-looking
man, past his prime, with a very important
manner, but seemingly not a bad fellow au

ii IN MASHONAIAND 55

fond. To our great consternation he said
that he knew nothing of any settled plan of
the Bishop's ; that he was bound to the
Union Steamship Company, being a doctor
on board one of their steamers ; and that it
would be quite three weeks before he could
start up country. He thought we must
decide for ourselves whether we would wait
for him, or go on and try to catch the Bishop
at 'Mpanda's. For himself, he had to hurry
back to his ship.

This left us in a state of trouble and per-
plexity easily to be imagined. The next day
we received a letter from the Bishop from
Beira, telling us that he expected us by the
next steamer. We heard on all sides that it
was more than probable we should reach
'Mpanda's before the Bishop could leave, as
it was said that the troubles in Manica were
taking very serious proportions, and that the
road-making party had been forced to leave
off work, and return to 'Mpanda's. Still it
was rather an important step to take, and we
resolved to consult Colonel W ; Mr.

56 ADVENTURES

Watts, the Union Company's agent ; Mr.
Jamieson, the agent both of the Chartered
Company and of the Bishop ; and others.
All of them advised us not to wait for the
Doctor, but to make a push for 'Mpanda's.
One of the Bishop's people, a boy called
Wilson, had remained behind with us, and
would, we thought, be a sufficient protec-
tion. He was a youth from the east end of
London, exceedingly sharp and useful, able
to put his hand to most things, but appar-
ently not very strong. He, too, was con-
sulted, and elected to go with us.

On Wednesday, the 28th of May, we said
good-bye to our kind hostess, turned our
backs on Durban, and steamed forth into
the unknown on board the coasting steamer
Tyrian commanded by Captain Morton. The
vessel was crowded with men — Pungwe
pioneers — some going up as traders, all more
or less as prospectors. They were full of
hope and enthusiasm about the new country ;
nothing was heard in the ship but a per-
petual talk of "booms," " reefs," " alluvial,"

ii IN MASHONALAND 57

and of all the chances there appeared to be
of making a rapid fortune.

Amongst our fellow-passengers was Mr.
Grant, son of the famous explorer, on his
way to Mozambique, where he intended to
engage a number of carriers, to take up the
Zambesi to the Lake Country and beyond
into the interior. He was a very pleasant
young fellow, who had already done a good
deal of exploring work, and with whom it
was very interesting to talk.

Mr. Walter Sutton, the ill-fated son of
the archdeacon of that name, was with us
too, the picture of health. He has since
disappeared on the veldt up country, and
there is little or no hope of his ever being
seen again. Many another of our fellow-
passengers has since joined that ever in-
creasing majority. The greater number of
the others we were to meet again under very
different circumstances.

Captain Morton told us that he did not
see how Dr. Doyle Glanville could possibly
follow us till nearly the end of June, so it

58 ADVENTURES chap.

really seemed as if we had been well advised
in not waiting for him.

Passing dismal, fever - stricken Delagoa
Bay and Lorenzo Marques, we reached In-
hambane on Saturday, the 23rd. We could
not land that evening, but spent it on deck
watching a total eclipse of the moon, and
admiring our surroundings. The town or
rather village of Inhambane was of con-
siderable importance in the palmy days of
the slave trade. A large, stone slave market
looked quite important from the sea, but on
closer inspection proved to be falling into
ruin. There were large stone houses also,
quite out of keeping with the present pro-
portions of the place. Here for the first
time we made acquaintance with the beautiful
feathery cocoa-nut palm, groves of which
fringe the bay, and cover the many islands
reflected in its clear still waters.

The following day we went on shore,
and were almost instantaneously mobbed by
natives. Apparently these had never seen
European women before, for they followed

ii IN MASHONALAND 59

us, to the number of forty or fifty, wherever
we went, evidently criticising freely — and,
probably, not always favourably.

Those houses which were inhabited were
chiefly of the wattle and daub order, spot-
lessly clean, and built in the midst of large
shady compounds. In spite of the heat we
strolled beyond the village, through groves
of cocoa-nut trees, and, coming to a small
native hut, asked Mr. Grant to send a boy
up one of the palms to bring us some nuts.
This he did. The boy forthwith picked up
a hatchet, and, cutting little holes in the tree
as he climbed, inserted one big toe after
another into the holes, and was soon at the
top of this improvised staircase, squatting
comfortably among the nuts and branches,
or rather branching leaves. He threw down
some fine nuts, which his father opened for
us. It being the 24th of May, we drank
the Queen's health in cocoa-nut milk. Our
attendant crowd of natives had never left
us, and solemnly watched us imbibing the
milk, but Sister Lucy, who didn't like it,

60 ADVENTURES chap.

made a grimace at them, upon which they
shrieked with joy, throwing themselves on
the ground, and rolling about in an ecstasy
of enjoyment. As we walked back to the
ship we met other natives, who were in-
formed of the great joke, and they in their
turn attached themselves to us. At last,
however, the noise became so intolerable, to
say nothing of the heat and smell, that the
white men were obliged to threaten our
bodyguard with their sticks, whereupon the
whole crowd fled, making for the beach,
where they awaited our advent, and gave
us a last yell as we rowed back to the
ship.

On Tuesday, the 26th of May, we reached
the much-talked of Port Beira. There was
considerable difficulty in getting into the
harbour owing to shoals and sand-banks, and
to this day, in spite of buoys and charts,
ships continually go aground. Captain
Morton, however, was both skilful and
lucky ; and though he had never before
entered this harbour he did not make a

ii IN MASHONALAND 61

single mistake, and we anchored safely oppo-
site the " town."

This said town of Beira may be described
as a long flat reach of sand, over which a
few tents were scattered. There were also
two iron shanties, and that was all. The
place looked, even from afar, the picture of
desolation.

The harbour, on the contrary, was ex-
tremely animated. As we cast anchor,
H.M.S. Brisk steamed out to sea, H.M.S.
Magicienne and the gunboat Pigeon being
anchored not far from us. One or two
beautiful little Portuguese gunboats lay at
a little distance ; boats flitted from ship to
ship. Presently Captain Pipon of the Magi-
cienne, Acting- Consul at Beira, came on
board the Tyrian. Captain Morton intro-
duced him to us, and we found him very
cordial and kind. The news he gave us
was bad. He said that the Chartered Com-
pany's people and the Portuguese had fought
at Masse-Kesse, the latter being driven from
the fort, which was occupied by the English.

62 ADVENTURES

It was rumoured that troops of disbanded
Portuguese soldiers were roaming about the
country, revenging themselves on all English-
speaking folk whom they might come across.
Colonel Machado, Governor - General of
Mozambique, had therefore declared the
route to Fort Salisbury to be closed, since
he could not be responsible for the safety of
anyone attempting to pass through Portu-
guese territory ; and Captain Pipon had
come to request Captain Morton to put up
a notice informing his passengers that who-
ever attempted to go up the Pungwe did it
at his own risk and peril, and must not expect
British protection if he got into trouble.

Afterwards we discovered that all these
rumours had reached Beira in a very garbled
condition. It was indeed true that there had
been fighting at Masse- Kesse. Captain
Heyman, of the Chartered Company's Police,
having been ordered by the Portuguese
commandante at Masse - Kesse to leave
Manica, or he would be driven out, promptly
marched from Umtali to Masse-Kesse with

ii IN MASHONALAND 63

forty-five men and a seven-pounder, took up
a good position near that fort, and by dint of
sending up rockets and making signals, im-
pressed the enemy with the idea that he was
only reconnoitring for a large force. This
force, of course, was absolutely mythical, he
being hundreds of miles from any possible
help. By-and-by provisions ran short with
the gallant forty-five. Spies informed them
that there were at least five hundred men in
Masse-Kesse, and a large supply of " thunder
and lightning," as natives call artillery.
Action of some kind was imperative. As
Captain Heyman was debating the possi-
bility of an attack by surprise, the enemy,
much to his gratification, marched out of
the fort and proceeded to attack him.

The Portuguese troops were nearly all
coloured men, either natives or half-caste.
They did not fight well, and after one or two
futile attempts to storm the English camp,
they all ran away. No artillery was used by
the storming party. Twice the European
Portuguese officers, who are said to have

64 ADVENTURES chap.

behaved splendidly, tried to rally their men,
beating them with the flats of their swords ;
but, finding it futile, they all three walked
slowly away at a more than funeral pace. Two
or three volleys were fired at them, bullets
ploughing up the earth round them. It was
found afterwards that one, I think Monsieur
de Bettincourt, was wounded in the neck
rather badly, and another in the arm. They
made no sign, however, until, just as a
rising ground was about to hide them from
view, they turned, took off their hats to the
English, and strolled slowly back to the fort.
Convinced that a large force must be behind
Captain Heyman, Masse-Kesse surrendered.
The Company's people found stores of food
and medicine, and I believe artillery, to the
value of ten or twelve thousand pounds.
Captain Heyman says that if the commander
had been equal to his position and resources,
not an Englishman ought to have left Manica
to tell the tale. Of course Captain Heyman,
by his pluck and readiness of resource, really
secured Manica to the Company. This is

n IN MASHONALAND 65

in substance what occurred at the " Battle of
Chua," as it is called. It took place on the
1 ith of May, 1891. It is needless to say that
the anniversary is always kept in Manica with
much feasting and many speeches. I tell
the tale, as it was told to me by the " heroes
of Masse-Kesse " and others, with but little
variation, though as I did not reach Umtali
till two months later, I may possibly be
wrong in some of the details. Everyone
knows how difficult it is to repeat with abso-
lute correctness.

To return to Beira. We had expected to
find a small steamer called the Agnes to take
us up the Pungwe. We were quite resolved
to go as far as 'M panda's, where, as the route
was closed, the Bishop was in all probability
to be found. He was said to have bought
a piece of ground at a little distance from the
pioneer camp, and to have pitched his tents
on it. We heard in the evening that the
Agnes would probably appear next day.

The next day arrived, but no Agnes
was to be seen. Captain Pipon asked us

F

66 ADVENTURES

to lunch on board the Magicienne. We
went, and enjoyed ourselves very much.
He took great trouble to show us every-
thing of interest in the ship, and explained
the torpedo arrangements so wonderfully,
that, for the space of a flash of lightning, I
knew how to handle torpedoes ; what use to
make of them ; how to manage a ship ; and
a great many astonishing things which now
are hazy as a dream.

The Magicienne struck us as being a
beautiful, but perhaps not very comfortable,
ship. The engine-rooms took up an im-
mense space, and the accommodation of the
crew seemed to be of little importance.
Electric bells, springs, lights, and appliances
abounded on board ; every shelf and cup-
board did something offensive or defensive,
if required. The kitchens seemed to be as
perfect as the engine-rooms. An excellent
luncheon was sent out of them, and altogether
we found Captain Pipon capital company.

A rumour now reached us that the Bishop
had left 'Mpanda's with a Portuguese called

ii IN MASHONALAND 67

Captain da Silva, and four natives. This
made us still more anxious to get on, and we
hoped the Agnes would arrive on Friday at
latest. We heard that she was aground on
a sand-bank in the Pungwe, and that this
was the cause of the delay. We had three
cases of fever on board, but none of them
were serious.

Meanwhile the pioneers on board the
Tyrian became very impatient indeed. The
next morning they all came on deck in true
stage freebooter costume — rifles, knives,
long boots, truculent-looking hats, cartridge
belts, nothing was wanting. They announced
their intention of capturing Beira forthwith,
and set off to interview Captain Pipon on
the subject. What happened — whether they
saw him, and if so what he said — I never
heard, or do not remember. I know, how-
ever, that Beira was not captured, and I
think it was a great pity. It is now becoming
quite an important place. Two-thirds of the
inhabitants are English, and I do not think
that Portuguese rule suits them, or tends to

68 ADVENTURES chap.

develope the resources of the place, which is
really forced along, in spite of obstacles, by
the English element.

The capture of Beira having fallen through,
more peaceful plans prevailed, and we went
to a concert on board the Pigeon, where we
spent a very pleasant evening. Scarcely had
we got back to the Tyrian, when a storm
broke out ; the harbour became so rough that
the decks of the Pigeon were completely
under water ; and if we had been ten minutes
longer aboard of her, we should have been
unable to leave at all till next day. We
expected to make the acquaintance of Mr.
Jerram, acting captain of the Pigeon later
on, as he was for the moment Vice -Consul
at 'Mpanda's. Captain Winslow of the Brisk
was also up country.

Neither Friday nor Saturday brought the
Agnes or any news of her. The weather
was so rough and cold that we could not go
on board the Magicienne, where a concert
had been got up to amuse us. It was indeed
weary waiting. Beira was dirty, and, the

ii IN MASHONALAND 69

anti-English feeling being naturally so strong,
Captain Pipon requested us not to go on
shore.

However, the Agnes really did appear on
Sunday morning, with Major Johnson on
board her, and a few minutes after she had
cast anchor he was rowed over to the
Tyrian. Our first inquiries were for the
Bishop, and we were indeed sorry to hear
the news of his departure from 'Mpanda's
confirmed. Major Johnson said that the
Bishop and da Silva had lost their way, and ;
after walking about thirty miles, before they
discovered that they were going towards the
coast instead of towards the interior ; had
both returned to 'Mpanda's. As the Bishop
is an experienced traveller and sportsman,
we concluded that this must have been da
Silva's fault, as it in fact proved to have
been. He professed to know the country,
and undertook to guide the party, happily
with no more disastrous result than a waste
of about two days' time on a useless and
tiring march. On their return to 'Mpanda's,

70 ADVENTURES chap.

da Silva objected to go any farther, and the
Bishop was said to have pushed on ahead
with only one boy, other bearers having
refused to go. There was said to be con-
siderable difficulty about obtaining native
labour, the natives waiting to see which were
to gain the day, English or Portuguese, and
fearing to compromise themselves with either
party. After a good deal of talk, Major
Johnson told us that we could not possibly
go to 'Mpanda's at that time. He did not
see how he was to get us up the Pungwe.
The Agnes would have to take the pioneers,
and would be crowded with men ; it would
be impossible for three women to go up with
that crush. Also the Agnes would take two
days going up, if she were lucky and did
not run aground, in which case she might
be a week.

Captain Morton and Johnson advised us
to go with the Tyrian to Mozambique ;
with the understanding that, on her return
to Beira, we should have the Agnes to our-
selves, and go up the river in her. Feeling

ii IN MA SHONA LAND -J\

that we could not trust to these promises —
so often made and always broken — we were
about to decide that we would be landed at
Beira, and make our way up for ourselves,
even if that course involved going in native
" dug-outs," when a new adviser appeared
on the scene.

This was Captain Ewing, owner of a little
Thames launch called the Shark. In appear-
ance somewhat like the pictures of Don
Quixote, he was a man who had been almost
everywhere, had done almost everything, and
was universally liked. What was more to
the point, he was said to be strictly a man of
his word. He is now Port Captain at Beira.

Captain Ewing advised us to go on to
Mozambique, saying that the 'Mpanda-Salis-
bury road had not progressed at all, owing
to the- Portuguese troubles, and that the
road- making parties had been obliged to
return, and were forbidden by the Portu-
guese commandante on the Pungwe to leave
the pioneer camp. The Bishop alone had
been allowed to proceed on his journey.

72 ADVENTURES chap.

We should gain nothing by going to
'Mpanda's, but should be only shut up
there for at least a month. So he strongly
urged our remaining with the Tyrian, and
gave his word of honour that, if the Agnes
failed us on our return to Beira, he would
himself take us to 'Mpanda's in his Shark.
It was very bitter to us to have come so far,
and to have actually reached Beira only to
meet with another long delay. But, though
quite determined to fulfil our promise to the
Bishop, and get to Mashonaland by hook or
by crook, we were particularly anxious to do
nothing headstrong or unreasonable. We
felt also that, dependent as we were on the
goodwill of all these men, we should be more
likely to obtain both help and sympathy by
showing that we were amenable to honest
advice. Of course many of them urged us
to "chuck the Bishop," as they expressed it,
and return to England. But this was not
to be thought of. The Mission had gone
to great expense in the purchase of stores,
tents, etc. The Mission doctor was hurry-

ii IN MASHONALAND 73

ing on behind us, and the Bishop had gone
up country in the full conviction that we
were following as fast as possible. No one
could hold him responsible for the troubles
which had arisen, and the unforeseen diffi-
culties which had cropped up. Africa is the
land of the unforeseen. The best-laid plans
are unexpectedly swept away in the twinkling
of an eye by a native raid, an unprecedented
flood, a "boom" in some hitherto unheard
of place, to which everyone rushes, " chuck-
ing" everything and everybody, regardless
of every previous promise or engagement.
A will-o'-the-wisp is more steady than the
African political horizon. "Questions,"
"wars," "difficulties," spring up at an
instant's notice. There, too, where the
most experienced experts and geologists
had declared it to be impossible to find
gold, are now the richest gold-fields perhaps
in the world. Yes, that "nothing happens
but the unexpected " is indeed the motto of
Africa.

Doubtless it would hc\ve better pleased

74 ADVENTURES

the Bishop if a steam-tug had been ready for
us at Beira, and a fast coach at 'Mpanda's.
It would, therefore, have been unfair to blame
him for the collapse of the Road Company
and for the other difficulties which had
sprung up in our way. Of course, in our
secret souls, we felt that it would have been
wiser if he had remained at Durban till we
could all start together for Beira. But he
probably thought that it would be for every-
one's advantage that he should go on first,
and have huts and hospital ready for us
when we got up. We must believe, there-
fore, that he acted for the best.

Inevitable Fate then decreed that we
should wander on to Mozambique, from
which place it would be impossible to get
back to Beira till the nth of June. That
evening an unfortunate white man, whom
the Agnes had discovered lying in an un-
conscious and half- starved condition in an
open boat on the Pungwe, was brought on
board the Tyrian, Dr. de Burgh taking
charge of him. He was very ill indeed all

it IN MASHONALAND 75

the next day, and we fed him by teaspoons-
full every quarter of an hour, night and
day.

On the 2nd of June we left Beira for
Mozambique. Our sick man was a shade
better, but still very bad. Sisters Lucy
Sleeman and B. Welby were utterly pros-
trated by sea-sickness. I was not very bad,
so stayed with the patient ; but what with the
smell of his food, the stuffiness of his cabin,
and one thing or another, I soon began to
be sick also, and had the curious experience
of trying to nurse a bad case in the intervals
of all the qualms of sea-sickness. I held on
for a couple of hours, and then was forced
to call a steward and give up my place to
him. Nothing takes pluck out of one like
sea - sickness. The spirit felt angry and
ashamed, but the flesh was triumphant and
collapsed.

The Tyrian went straight to Mozam-
bique, where we arrived on the 4th of June.
The very picturesque old town is built on a
small island. The houses are large, built of

76 ADVENTURES

stone ; and are painted pink, blue, green, and
every colour of the rainbow. A massive
old grey fort, built in the sixteenth cen-
tury, I . think, lends a certain air of dignity
and calm to the somewhat confused and
gimcrack brilliancy of the modern town.
The light plumes of the cocoa-nut palms
wave above the house-tops ; boats flit over
the bay; Arab dhows, all sail and no
hull, fly along like monstrous birds ; great
steamers puff noisily out to sea. Whilst we
admired the lovely, animated scene, our ship
was suddenly besieged by a fleet of native
" dug-outs " filled with fruit, coral, shells, or
fish. We bought some lovely shells, but
the coral was white, and looked brittle and
cumbersome, and did not tempt us. We
had great amusement out of the native fleet
of canoes, which were either dug out of the
trunk of a tree or made of bark. They were
very ricketty, it being generally impossible
for a man to stand up in them without upset-
ting. One native paddles the canoe, another
squats at the bottom, and scoops out the

ii IN MASHONALAND 77

water all the time. If the water gets the
better of the scooper, both men jump over-
board, turn the canoe upside down to get rid
of the water, right her, and start again.

The next day we went on shore, hoping
to find some curious specimens of native
work, which we could take home. We
found nothing, however, but the very com-
monest English goods — coarse shirts of
staring colours which the " sweated " must
have turned out for "sweaters" by the
hundred at home ; frightful earthenware
dishes; and things of that sort. We admired
the Mozambique women swathed in graceful
if scanty drapery, and walking, as I suppose
none but an African or an Indian woman
can walk, with the perfection of grace.

The Governor's house, the barracks, and
the hospital, were quite splendid, or looked
so in their surroundings. Such buildings
would be better suited to Durban or Cape
Town than to Mozambique, a sleepy hamlet,
the commerce of which is, I hear, slowly but
surely drifting away to other ports — to Beira,

78 ADVENT URES

I believe, among others. I suppose the
decline of the slave trade has ruined these
once flourishing towns.

The following day was Saturday, and Mr.
Grant's natives to the number of seventy-nine
came on board. Such a chattering amusing
crowd, draped in every imaginable colour,
swarming up the ship's sides like monkeys,
pushing each other into the water, and laugh-
ing perpetually ! Mr. Grant did not intend
to take another white man with him, but
proposed to go quite alone. He said a com-
panion was a nuisance, as the climate is so
irritating that it is impossible not to squabble,
and one is always having rows about nothing
particular.

We reached Quilimane on Sunday even-
ing ; but, the tide not permitting us to go up
the river, we had to stay in the open till
the next morning. Mr. Grant's natives
never seemed to sleep. They danced, sang,
laughed, or told stories, like those that Mr.
Mounteney Jephson has written about, and
were not quiet for an hour, night or day.

ii IN MASHONALAND 79

The parrot-house at the Zoo would have
been a place to retire to for peaceful medita-
tion, when compared with the Union S.S.
Tyrian after the invasion of Mr. Grant's
natives. The night we spent outside Quili-
mane they made an especially terrible noise,
for they had eaten a week's provision of rice
in one day, and Mr. Grant having refused to
give them any more, they screamed, and
danced, and told stories with even more than
usual energy — to drown care, or, perhaps,
with an eye to digestion.

We got rid of them next day, when we
steamed up the river and anchored opposite
the town of Quilimane, a pretty -looking
place buried in trees, but I should think very
unhealthy. We went on shore as soon as
possible. It was always delightful to escape
from the ship, which was so crowded that
there was very little room to walk about.
We should, indeed, have been uncomfortable
had not Captain Morton, with thoughtful
kindness, made us free of his chart-house,
which we used as a little sitting-room.

8o ADVENTURES

Quilimane is composed of well-built stone
houses, standing on either side of wide roads,
and surrounded by gardens. The orange
trees were laden with fruit, and there were
pine -apples and banana trees flourishing
everywhere in all the wild luxuriance of
African growth. The shops were just like
those of Mozambique, and very disappoint-
ing. Quilimane is only about fourteen days
from Bombay, and the Arab dhows are con-
stantly going backwards and forwards, yet
we could not obtain a single Indian rug, a
piece of Indian silk, or any of the beguiling
trifles which India exports. The shops both
at Quilimane and Mozambique were much
like East-end stalls. The most important of
them sold English soap, which we were glad
to pounce upon.

We made the acquaintance of the Acting
Consul, Mr. Belcher, with whom Mr. Grant
was going to stay. He took us for a long
walk through the picturesque woods that
surround Quilimane, and procured us some
curios — such as gold beads made out of

IN MASHONALAND

Zambesi alluvial, and long chains of mar-
vellous fineness, like those of Venetian
workmanship, which the natives beat out
of a sovereign. If one has time, it is in-
teresting to give a sovereign to the worker
and see a chain evolved out of it.

We could not leave Quilimane till the
nth of June, and glad we were to be off
again, life in the coasting steamer having
become most wearisome. We took in a
good stock of the oranges for which Quili-
mane is famous. On Friday, 12th June,
we again anchored in the Pungwe Bay, and
Major Johnson once more came on board,
having come down from 'Mpanda's. He
told us that before leaving it, he had himself
seen our tent pitched on the spot chosen by
the Bishop, our stretchers put up, and every-
thing made ready for our arrival. Our tent,
he said, had been borrowed for some sick
Europeans, but they were then convales-
cent, and no longer needed it. He told us
also that Dr. Todd of the Magicienne was
looking after the sick at 'Mpanda's, the
G

82 ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND chap, ii

Company's doctor being seriously ill. There
had been, Johnson added, a good deal of
illness in the camp, but it was all over now.
Nearly all this news which he gave us was
found, on our arrival at 'Mpanda's, to be alto-
gether misleading. Captain Ewing now
appeared on the scene, telling us that the
Shark would be in readiness at four the
next morning, and that we must not keep
her waiting, or we should lose the tide. It
was essential to get to 'Mpanda's in one day,
the little launch having no sleeping accom-
modation of any sort or kind, and a night
amid the thick river fog being a thing to be
emphatically avoided. Therefore, very soon
after dinner, we went to bed, looking for-
ward immensely to at last saying good-bye
to civilisation.

CHAPTER III

On the Pungwe" — Sixteen hours in the Shark — Hippo-
potami — Crocodiles — Intense heat — 'Mpanda's —
Nowhere to sleep — Lions — Old Wilkins — Dr. Todd
of the Magiriemie — Fever — Work among the natives
— Camp life — The Consul — A plague of rats — Arrival
of Dr. Glanville — News from the Bishop — Disputes
among Mission workers — Livingstonian anecdote —
Sir John Willoughby and monkey-nuts — Collapse of
transport — We must walk one hundred and ninety
miles — Opposition — The enemy routed — The Portu-
guese commandante — A Portuguese military hospital
— Departure of Consul — Wilkins in search of bearers
— His dramatic return — No money — Lieut. Robertson
to the rescue.

We were up betimes on the morning of
Saturday the 13th of June, and ready and
eager to start in the Shark, which steamed
up alongside the Tyrian punctually at four
o'clock. But a thick fog suddenly enveloped
us, sweeping down the Pungwe with magical
swiftness, so that we had to curb our im-

84 ADVENTURES

patience and wait till nearly five. The fog
then lifting a little, Captain Ewing decided
on venturing up the river, as a longer delay
meant losing the tide, and having to spend a
night in the Shark. The little launch being
the tiniest of steam-launches, in which we
three, Captain Ewing, and two sailors, had
barely room to sit, the prospect of a night on
board was anything but pleasant.

We started, puffing gaily away, and soon
lost sight of the Tyrtan, picking our way
carefully amongst islands, which loomed
dimly through the fog. After about an
hour and a half the fog lightened, and then
we discovered that we had somehow drifted
round an island, and were rapidly returning
to Beira. No sooner had we altered our
course, making some advance up the river,
than we stuck on one of the shifting sand-
banks, which render the navigation of the
Pungwe so troublesome. To this day, in spite
of the many careful charts which have been
made, steamers drift on to unexpected shoals,
being often detained thus for many hours.

in IN MASHONALAND 85

Our sand-bank, however, did not delay us
more than half an hour.

By this time the sun had dispelled the
mists, and we glided along in our little boat,
which looked like a tiny speck on the wide
rapid river, able at last to take note of our
surroundings. Swift, dark, and mysterious,
the broad Pungwe flows smoothly along,
between low flat banks, whose vivid green
verdure betrays the swampy nature of the
soil. Families of cranes of every conceivable
colour stalked about in the shallows, or stood
pensively on one leg, giving us an indifferent,
supercilious glance as we passed.

Suddenly we heard a crashing amongst
the branches and thick vegetation to the
right of our boat, and a troop of hippopotami
plunged heavily into the water. We took
great delight in watching them swimming
about, splashing, diving, or floating along
like huge logs — although I think we were at
first a little afraid, having heard terrible tales
of the enraged hippopotamus crunching up
boats for pastime as he enjoyed his morning

86 ADVENTURES chap.

bath. But these were amiable monsters, or
perhaps only contemptuous. In any case
they took no notice of us. As if in contrast
to these great beasts, a number of curious
little amphibious creatures, half bird, half
reptile, flitted past the launch. We had
scarcely finished wondering at them, when
a flight of brilliant butterflies crossed the
river just over our heads. There must
have been many hundreds of them, for we
at first thought it was a swarm of locusts.
Never before or since have I seen so many
butterflies, and I am told it was an unusual
sight.

The vivid green that fringes the river
only partially conceals long, low mud-banks
where monstrous crocodiles sun themselves.
One or two, disturbed by our passage,
dropped sullenly into the water. They filled
us with horror. Out of such evil, glittering
eyes might lost spirits and condemned souls
look forth. The Pungwe literally swarms
with them.

Now, however, we became indifferent to all

in IN MASHONALAND 87

sights and sounds. Noonday was approach-
ing, and the heat was gradually becoming
more intense. The launch had no awning ;
barely a yard separated us from the boiler.
The water became a great, glittering,
dazzling plane. Our eyes ached, our heads
burned. We stood up now and then, that
being the only change of position possible.
An insatiable thirst consumed us. Even I,
whom my friends used to liken to a rabbit,
because I never wanted to drink, felt dry
and parched ; but of course I suffered much
less than my two companions. The river
water was quite hot ; and very nasty and
unwholesome on account of the quantity of
rank, decaying vegetation over which it
flows. It served to fill one's mouth with
from time to time, but did not afford much
relief. We had a little claret on board and
a few oranges ; without these latter I don't
think we could have got on at all. As it
was, there were moments when I felt as if
there might be worse fates than that of
being eaten by a crocodile. It would at all

88 ADVENTURES

events be cool at the bottom of the river.
We were, however, determined not to
grumble. Afterwards Captain Ewing con-
fessed that he had expected us to break

down, and give him a "d d bad time,"

to use his own forcible language.

Towards four o'clock, a light breeze
springing up, life once more became the
delightful business it generally is.

In spite of a sand-bank or two, on which
we had now and then stuck for a few
minutes, we had made good way, and ex-
pected to reach 'Mpanda's about six in the
evening. The fires had been more than
once raked out with tremendous noise,
emptying of cinders overboard, and clouds of
dust. We were going a good pace when we
passed Nevez Fereira, a Portuguese encamp-
ment, fifteen miles by river from 'Mpanda's,
where the Portuguese soldiers, with beating
drums and rifles levelled at us, had obliged
us to stop and explain ourselves. Suddenly
something went wrong with the screw, we
crawled along in a jerky fashion, and took

in IN MASHONALAND 89

nearly six hours doing fifteen miles. The
sun leaped out of the sky into the nether
world, as it does in those climes ; and the
marvellous tropical moonlight shed its clear
radiance over the river, leaving the thick
bush on either side shrouded in impenetrable
darkness and mystery. If that veil of
shadow had been lifted what strange
monsters would have been revealed — fierce
lion, gigantic python ! As we could not see,
we imagined. By-and-by the moon deserted
us, thick mists gathered around us, the screw
could no longer force the launch off the
shoals. Captain Ewing and his men got
overboard, and shoved us off. The agonies
of mind we suffered, lest these brave men
should be snapped up by a passing crocodile,
may be fancied better than described.

It was half-past nine when we reached
'Mpanda's. As soon as the shriek of the
Shark's steam -whistle was heard, half the
camp must have rushed to the landing-place.
Lanterns flashed to and fro. A number of
men shouted questions, and offered incom-

90 ADVENTURES chap.

prehensible advice. But an authoritative
voice silenced the clamour, and directed our
launch to go alongside a lighter, across
which we might walk to land.

The voice belonged to Mr. Jerram,
acting captain of the Pigeon, and Vice-
Consul at 'Mpanda's. He welcomed us
cordially, and sent one of his "pigeons" to
make coffee for us. Mr. Dymott, the Road
Company's agent, then came forward, and
said he was very sorry that there was nothing
ready for us. Major Johnson had told him
there was no chance of our coming up to
'Mpanda's. Our tent was still occupied by
three Europeans who had been ill. He
would see how he could put us up in the
morning, and meanwhile he placed his tent
at our disposal for the night.

This was cold comfort to us poor women,
tired out with over sixteen hours in the
Shark, expecting to find our tent ready for
us, and looking forward to a peaceful night.
We did not exactly bless the memory of the
imaginative Johnson. However, nothing is

in IN MASHONALAND 91

so futile as grumbling. We accepted the
situation with such calm that Mr. Dymott
conceived the idea of keeping our tent
altogether, a project which Captain Ewing
and the Consul frustrated.

Wilkins, the Bishop's builder and head-
man— an excellent but doddering old person,
whom it was amazing to think of as of hav-
ing been with Livingstone — guided us to
Mr. Dymott's tent.

In the midst of its dirt and confusion bed
and sleep were out of the question. We
curled ourselves up in a heap on one of our
waterproof sheets, and waited for day. Now
and then we dozed, but were soon aroused
by unaccustomed sounds — the long, weird
shriek of a hyaena ; the roar of a lion. These
latter were half a mile off at least, but we
thought they were actually in the camp ! I
think a few tears were shed in that tent ; we
could not help feeling forlorn, alone, without
even an acquaintance, in the midst of these
wild surroundings, but were of course re-

92 ADVENTURES chap.

solved that no one should even guess what
we felt.

It was scarcely light when Wilkins, fol-
lowed by his native boy, appeared with
coffee, a bath, and a couple of buckets of
water, requesting us to come to his tent as
soon as we were dressed, when breakfast
would be ready.

After we had made a hurried toilet, the
native who was squatting outside the tent
guided us through the camp to the Bishop's
encampment. This, at that time, consisted
only of a small tent belonging to Wilkins,
and two patrol tents for the carpenters, the
natives, and kitchen purposes. A large
supply of stores, partly covered with sailcloth,
lay in front of the tent. Breakfast was
spread on a flat, square packing-case, propped
on two other boxes.

During the meal Wilkins told us he had
already seen Mr. Dymott, requesting him to
let us have our tent immediately. This
gentleman had demurred, saying that he
would "run us up" a grass hut, or lean-to,

in IN MASHONALAND 93

adjoining the bar, from which we could very
conveniently obtain our meals. " But I
knew, sisters," said old Wilkins, "what was
doo to females ; and I says, Mr. Dymott, I
says, if that there tent ain't returned by ten
o'clock, I'll strike it over the heads of them
that live in it ! "

Anxious to avoid a row, we sent a note to
the Consul, begging him to have the matter
arranged quietly, but saying that if the men
who lived in our tent were not convalescent
they must of course keep it. Mr. Jerram
answered that they were up and about, but
had no place to go to, and were not well
enough to cook for themselves. He added
that women could not possibly live in or near
a bar in a pioneer camp, and that it was
absolutely necessary for us to have our tent.

He and Captain Ewing asked all the
Europeans in camp to volunteer with their
natives, and build a hospital hut for the use
of any Europeans who might want a shelter.
In an incredibly short time the hut was put
up, and that afternoon old Wilkins had the

94 ADVENTURES

satisfaction of pitching our tent near his
own.

We, meanwhile, had not been idle. Very
soon after breakfast Dr. Todd of the
Magicienne called, and asked us to help
him with his sick. He told us that the
Road Company's natives were in a shocking
state. Two had been found dead that morn-
ing in the miserable shelter — it could not be
called a hut — into which they were crowded.
Twenty-eight or thirty of these natives had
refused to work two days before, saying they
were ill. The whites believed they were
shamming, therefore no rations were served
out till they would go to work. The death
of two of the poor creatures gave convincing
proof of the reality of their sufferings, and
saved the remainder. Dr. Todd refused to
attend to them unless proper rations of
native meal, with such meat and medical
comforts as were available, were served out
to them. Of course he had his way, — most
determined men have, especially in Africa.
Nor were the white men deliberately cruel,

in IN MASHONALAND 95

rather were they thoughtless and self-
absorbed.

Besides which, the home- staying Euro-
pean can form no idea of the powers of
aggravation possessed by the natives. Tricky
as water-sprites, they rejoice in the confusion
their blunders create. A native who upsets
his master's soup -pot just as that worthy
clamours for dinner, cannot help grinning
from ear to ear. Then he gets knocked
down, but hardly has he touched the earth
when he is up again like an elastic ball, and
away he bounds to a group of other boys,
who listen to his tale with delighted laughter ;
and if they are pursued, he and his friends
are quickly hidden in the long grass. As
the irate white man, giving it up, marches
off in search of a dinner, black heads peep
out from unexpected places, and splutters of
mocking laughter follow him. More than
once have we watched such scenes at
'Mpanda's, and it cannot be wondered at if
the native is looked upon as a nuisance, im-
possible either to get rid of or tolerate. In

96 ADVENTURES

reality he is nothing but a grown-up child,
and, if treated as such, loses much of his
power to irritate.

Dr. Todd took us through the camp to
the native huts. The white men's quarters —
tents and grass huts flung down confusedly
on the banks of a muddy stream — were
squalid and wretched beyond description.
The Pungwe bounded the camp on the right,
and a stagnant creek ran along its front.
Empty tins and refuse of all sorts strewed
the space between the tents and huts. As
for the natives, they were crowded into two
wretched grass shelters — about twenty-eight
sick, and I don't know how many others.
We had to go into these huts almost on hands
and knees.

The first thing to do was to clean up, and
this we did at once, making brooms out of
branches of trees. Then we got our patients
into tidy rows on mats, blankets, or rags,
whatever was available ; took their tempera-
tures; fed them; hung a washing book to a
nail to do duty for a ward book ; and soon

in IN MASHONALAND 97

established a fair imitation of hospital rou-
tine.

Dr. Todd was delightful to work with.
Had these miserable natives been his own
belongings he could not have done much more
for them. They had been engaged by the
Road Company at Durban, I think, without
much reference to their physical condition —
some were phthisical, nearly all weakly.

The work in these huts being somewhat
trying on account of heat and smell, and the
want of all appliances for cleaning, I under-
took it myself, with Sister Lucy Sleeman,
whose clever nursing and unselfish devotion
to the sick proved so invaluable in every
emergency. Sister B. Welby took charge of
four Europeans, who were under Dr. Todd's
care. One of these, who was suffering from
a gun-shot wound, would certainly have lost
his arm but for that doctor's timely arrival at
at 'Mpanda's.

In two or three days regular food and
attention began to tell on our patients, who
improved very rapidly. So one afternoon,

98 ADVENTURES chap.

Dr. Todd and Mr. Jerram, thinking we were
beginning to look fagged, proposed taking
us for an hour's row on the Pungwe, and
showing us the road of which we had heard
so much. To our astonishment and amuse-
ment the " road " making consisted of setting
fire to the tall grass, neither more nor less.
We lit some of it ourselves, and felt as if we
were materially advancing that " opening up
of Mashonaland," which was in everyone's
mouth.

On our return to 'Mpanda's we found some
new arrivals, who told us that Dr. Glanville
had left Beira ; was on board the Agnes,
stuck somewhere on a Pungwe sand-bank ;
and might be expected at any moment. This
was very good news. We had now been
some days at 'Mpanda's, and had seen enough
to know that coaches and waggons to Salis-
bury were the least substantial of airy myths.
Major Johnson had indeed assured us that
the first coach had started for Mashonaland,
but had omitted to add that it had arrived
nowhere, and was stationary on the veldt not

in IN MASHONALAND 99

far from the Pungwe camp, merely serving
to carry the provisions of the road-making
party. We passed it on our way up, unable
to move either backwards or forwards on
account of the condition of the fly-stricken
oxen, most of which had died.

A prolonged stay on the banks of the
Pungwe was of all things to be avoided.
Though Mr. Jerram and Dr. Todd had done
so much to reform the sanitary condition of
the camp, they could not make it healthy.
The stagnant creek sent forth pestilential
exhalations ; the heat was suffocating ; tall,
rank grass, and groups of the sinister-looking
" fever trees," kept off every breath of air.
These " fever trees " are a species of
mimosa, with pallid boles and livid green
foliage, and the experienced explorer always
avoids their neighbourhood. Every night a
dense fog from the river closed round us, and
was not dispelled till the sun had been up for
an hour or two. After the scorching heat,
the damp misty nights seemed to chill one to
the bone.

ioo ADVENTURES chap.

Nor was it easy to sleep in spite of the
comfortable stretchers which had been pro-
vided for us. Our tent, like every other,
swarmed with rats. They scrambled up and
down the canvas, constantly falling on our
beds, and sometimes on our faces. We were
all of opinion that the wild beasts outside
were much less terrible than the rats ! At
that time we believed that neither lion nor
leopard would venture into a camp. We
were destined to be rudely undeceived later
on at Umtali.

As far as creature comforts were concerned
there was nothing to complain of, indeed the
waste and profusion around troubled us not
a little. Wilkins, who took great care of
us, had no idea of thrift. The white men
under him, and even their natives, would
attack the great pile of stores at all hours of
the day, and stinted themselves in nothing.
We resolved to speak to Dr. Glanville as
soon as he arrived, and request him to put the
whole of our small encampment on rations.

Our first letter from the Bishop amused

in IN MASHONALAND 101

us much. It was brought by a " runner," and
was tied up in a bit of " limbo," and stuck
into a cleft stick. What a much more
poetical way of receiving letters than by the
English penny post ! Not so safe, perhaps —
but then even poetry has two sides, a wrong
and a right one, if you choose to examine
things closely. I remember the Bishop
telling us afterwards that, as he travelled up
country, he met several natives who attached
themselves to his party. One of them had a
small dirty bundle dangling from the end of
an assegai. This bundle was always falling
into swamps, and being fished out of rivers.
At last the Bishop asked what it was. It
was Her Majesty's mail!

To return to our letter, which did not
seem to have suffered much en route. The
news from up country was bad, though the
Bishop had arrived safely at Umtali. He
said that there was not the slightest chance

tof waggons or coaches reaching 'M panda's
for two months, and it seemed improbable
that they could return to Umtali in less than

102 ADVENTURES chap.

two months more. He thought we might
engage bearers, and have ourselves carried
up in " machilas " — a sort of hammock slung
on a pole.

The state of things in Mashonaland was,
he told us, unsatisfactory. The worst rainy-
season known for years had turned the rivers
into impassable torrents. Miles of veldt
were nothing but a vast morass. It had
been almost impossible to get any provisions
up to Fort Salisbury — none had reached
Umtali. The Company's Police had been
living on pumpkins and ground-nuts, until
Masse- Kesse and its stores had fallen into
their hands. These stores were nearly at an
end, and starvation was again threatening.
The men had suffered a great deal, having
no change of clothes, and being obliged to
go on duty and stand or ride for hours in
soaking rain. Many of them were without
boots or shoes. Nothing kept these troops,
as perhaps they may be called, together, but
the profound conviction that it would all
come right. " Rhodes would square it."

in IN MASHONALAND 103

I have even heard an excited personage
declare that, " Rhodes would square the tsetse
fly." In point of fact, I suppose, he really
will have " squared " it before long, the
Beira and Umtali Railway being now nearly
finished.

The day after we received the Bishop's
letter two men walked up from the Agnes,
having been put ashore, and having made
their way along the Pungwe banks. We
were disappointed that Dr. Doyle Glanville
was not with them, and we sent a note by
the Pigeon, explaining that it was fairly easy
walking, from the spot where the Agnes was
stuck, to the camp — a distance of from six
to eight miles. We also sent the Bishop's
letter to him, that he might be prepared for
the collapse of the Transport Company.

Not till Wednesday, the 18th of June,
did the Doctor arrive in one of the boats
of the Agnes, leaving that steam-tug, and
the lighters she was towing, still fast on the
shoal, with no immediate prospect of getting
clear of it. At certain times of the year

io4 ADVENTURES chap.

the Pungwe becomes so low, that only
specially built flat-bottomed boats can navi-
gate it comfortably.

Dr. Glanville seemed eager to push on,
and proposed sending a runner at once to
the neighbouring kraals, or native villages,
to see if we could obtain bearers. There
were a number of these villages round
'Mpanda's, and we had excited the curiosity
of the natives, they having never seen a
white woman. As we breakfasted or
lunched in our tents, a troop of natives
would glide silently up to it, squat in a
semicircle close to the opening, and watch
us intently. After a few minutes they would
retire, and give place to others. Every day
the same thing happened. We began to
wonder why our meals had a special interest
for them, since they did not appear to watch
the white men feeding. At last it was ex-
plained to us. The natives could not under-
stand our waists, or how we contrived to
induce the food to pass our waist -bands.
They expected, and probably hoped, that

in IN MASHONALAND 105

some terrible catastrophe would ensue. I need
hardly say that our waists were of the most
ordinary work-a-day proportions, that we
wore flannel shirts, and w£re guiltless of stays.
The afternoon of the Doctor's arrival,
another letter from the Bishop arrived, re-
peating what he had said before, and request-
ing us to go no farther than Umtali. He
himself was about to push on to Fort
Salisbury in search of provisions, and he
begged us to bring as much food -stuff as
possible with us.

It being obviously necessary to husband
our stores as much as possible, the doctor
drew up a scheme of rations, forbidding any
one except Wilkins to touch the stores. The
result was a great disturbance. The white
men attached to the Mission declared that
they would neither be "rationed" nor be
" under " Wilkins ! They had been promised
home comforts — you could have jam and
butter at the same meal at home, why not in
Mashonaland ? One of the men left ; one re-
tired to his tent like Achilles, and could not be

io6 ADVENTURES

pacified. Little Wilson, our East-ender, took
a more reasonable view, and subsided into
sullen resignation.

After all, it must t>e remembered that these
white men had been entirely uncontrolled
and unrestricted since the Bishop's departure.
The authority of old Wilkins was nominal.
They were not inclined to accept orders from
any one but the Bishop himself. The Doctor
did not know how to manage them, and
Wilkins himself refused to acknowledge his
authority. It was a very uncomfortable
phase of our experiences. Dr. Glanville had
only been in Africa as part of a great
military organization, which moved him here
and there like a pawn on a chess-board.
He had no idea how to move a pawn him-
self. He was surprised and non-plussed
when the well-to-do colonial men, who made
rather a favour of serving the Mission, ob-
jected to being treated like " Tommy Atkins."
Old Wilkins became a stumbling-block in our
way. " Should a man who had been with
Livingstone be ordered about like this? "

in IN MAS NONA LAND 107

We sometimes wonder, by-the-by, whether
old Wilkins had been with Livingstone, he
told us such incredible stories about him. I
repeat one of them.

" One morning, sisters, and 'tis as true as
I'm a biting this crust, we were surrounded
by strange niggers — and them niggers meant
mischief if ever a nigger did. Livingstone
he says, 'We're lost,' says he; 'we must go
back and give up. Come here, Wilkins, and
advise me ! ' And I up and says, ' Give up,
Doctor ? never ! Let's go and drive 'em
off.' The Doctor, he looks at me. ' Right
you are,' he says ; ' lead on, my brave fellow,
and I'll follow ! ' And as true as I'm a living
man we slew seventy before breakfast ! "
Wilkins professed a lordly contempt for the
Stanley expedition. " If Stanley'd known
his business he'd have had a man like me to
manage for him," he was fond of saying.
By which it will be seen that Livingstone's
man had an excellent opinion of himself, and
was not likely to knock under easily to a
mere tyro such as Dr. Glanville.

108 ADVENTURES chap.

"I'm a man to be trusted," he would say,
with an air of great importance ; " them there
sisters know what to expect. I'm used to
the ways of females, and the very night they
came I says, ' Sisters ! let there be no mistake
— I'm a married man ! ' This remark amused
the Doctor hugely. He took great delight
in leading up to it, and making the old man
repeat it as often as possible. Poor old
Wilkins ! Peace be to his ashes ! After
life's fitful fever, he sleeps tranquilly on the
wind-swept summit of a lofty crag in far
Manica.

Rumours of a terrible state of things in
Mashonaland flew about our camp. It was
impossible to say from whence they came, or
who originated them. Sir John Willoughby,
in the service of the Chartered Company,
had repeatedly declared that large stores had
been taken to Mashonaland, and were distri-
buted to all the stations through a commis-
sariat department. We were now assured
that he had spoken without sufficient founda-
tion for his assertions. This gentleman, by

in IN MASHONALAND 109

the way, is known in Mashonaland, and
indeed throughout Africa, as " Monkey-
Nuts," he having on the march ordered six
monkey-nuts (or ground-nuts) per man to be
served out. A ground-nut is about the size
of a beech-nut. Very likely the story is less
true than ben trovato. I never met Sir
John, but, when he was asked to help the
hospital, a large cheque reached me by
return of post. Other people were not
always so prompt.

Be this as it may, it appeared certain that
a considerable amount of distress must have
prevailed in the interior. Even at 'Mpanda's
the situation began to look serious. The
traders who had brought up provisions, in
the fond persuasion, that they could take
them up to Fort Salisbury in a fortnight, had
to eat their stores themselves, and sell what
they could in driblets from day to day. Car-
penters, builders, workmen of all sorts, who
had spent their savings on tools and outfits,
consumed their provisions at 'Mpanda's.
Then, hopeless and ruined, they wandered

no AD VENTURES chap.

back to Beira, and demanded help of the
Consul, until Captain Pipon had so many of
them on his hands that he sent a notice to
the Natal and Cape papers warning people
not to come up to Beira. But, as the adver-
tisement of the Road Company had not been
withdrawn from publication, many still be-
lieved in the coaches and waggons. They
came up to judge for themselves, to the ruin
of health or pocket — often of both.

We had now been ten days at 'Mpanda's,
and there appeared no chance of obtaining
boys. Our patients were more or less con-
valescent. The sick men were to be sent to
the coast ; many of the natives had already
left. Dr. Todd and Mr. Jerram expected to
be recalled shortly. Both urged us to give
up an attempt at going farther on. They
declared we had done more than enough to
show goodwill and unusual pluck. Would we
not be contented with that, and return home ?
Or, if we could not give up our plans at
once, would we at least go back to Beira ?
The Pigeon was at our disposal, and every

in IN MASHONALAND in

effort would be made to make us comfortable
on board her.

Dr. Todd declared that if we attempted
to walk up, it would be at the peril of our
lives. No women he had known had ever
walked in Africa; even men found it
trying, and sometimes died on the way. We
told our excellent advisers that we could only
die once, and that dying was just as disagree-
able in a room as on the veldt. If women
had never walked in Africa there was no
reason why they should not begin. Supposing
that, after a day or two's march, we found it
impossible to go on, we could turn back with
less shame and self-reproach than if we had
made little or no attempt to carry out our
undertaking.

Dr. Todd, who was somewhat of an
autocrat on board his ship, waxed angry
and contemptuous. Who were these nurses
who dared to dispute his opinion ? He said
that what we did or did not do was a matter
of supreme indifference to him. He had
offered us the only possible advice — we

H2 ADVENTURES chap.

would not take it — well, our foolhardiness
would meet with its just reward. There-
upon he hurled himself out of our tent. The
Consul followed meekly, saying he was very
sorry, shaking hands, and assuring us that
" Todd meant well ! "

This episode settled the question of our
stay at 'Mpanda's much more expeditiously
than would otherwise have been the case,
and the very next day we set off with Dr.
Glanville to Nevez Fereira, a Portuguese
camp about six miles distant. A trader,
called Madeira, who lived there was said to
have great influence with the natives. He
would perhaps procure bearers for us. But,
unfortunately ; although Madeira was ex-
tremely civil, and gave us a capital luncheon ;
he declared that he could no longer obtain
natives even for himself.

Lieutenant Pedro Alvarez, acting Com-
mandante at 'Mpanda's, joined us at
luncheon. Like all the Portuguese we
met in Africa, he had been most kind to us.
Ever since our arrival at 'Mpanda's he had

in IN MASHONALAND 113

kept us supplied with bread, game, and any-
other luxury which found its way to his
camp. We met a Portuguese army-doctor,
too, and after luncheon he took us to see his
hospital. Here the sick were established in
a hospital tent of the most approved fashion,
ventilated on the best principles, cool even
on that burning day. It was beautifully
kept, too, and was altogether a great con-
trast to the wretched grass hut which served
as a hospital at 'Mpanda's.

Though our tramp to Nevez Fereira was
a failure, as far as obtaining bearers was
concerned, we were not cast down ; and on
the way back it was decided that the next
day Wilkins should start off to a kraal about
fifty miles distant, and do his utmost to
secure carriers. He set out early the next
morning with a well-known explorer called
Moodie, to whom all parts of Africa seemed
equally familiar. The same day Mr. Walter
Sutton joined our party, the men he had
come up with proving most unsatisfactory.
Late that same evening the launch of the

114 ADVENTURES

Pigeon arrived to take Mr. Jerram and Dr.
Todd back to Beira the following day.

We said good-bye to the Vice -Consul
with great regret. The Portuguese Com-
mandante was much disgusted at his having
to leave. "Who," he exclaimed, "am I to
treat with now ? there are only traders here
— with such people I do not speak ! "
Fortunately the " people " in question did
not hear this speech, or there would have
been trouble. As it was, some foolish young
fellows nearly created a new Portuguese
question, by hoisting a red pocket handker-
chief, with a white elephant printed in the
centre, on the flagstaff from which the Consul
used to fly his Union Jack. The Com-
mandante took the foolish joke to mean an
insult to his flag, and it was all Dr. Glanville
could do to pacify him.

The camp now became very untidy and
rowdy ; and as Lieutenant Pedro Alvarez
constantly urged our departure, we engaged
any likely boy we came across, and resolved
that we would start for the interior with only

in IN MASHONALAND 115

ten boys, without waiting for the return of
Wilkins.

At this juncture Mr. Harrison, a well-
known prospector, arrived in the camp from
Fort Salisbury. Hearing of our difficulty, he
gave us his own three boys, making his way
to Beira as best he could without them.
Those who know anything of African travel
will agree that a more unselfish act was
never done. He also took the trouble to
write out a small vocabulary of the most use-
ful words and phrases in Mashona, and drew
out a map of the country — marking the best
halting -places, the distances from water to
water, and the time we ought to take in
getting from place to place. Had his
presence at the coast been less urgently
needed, he would have turned back and
escorted us to Umtali. Mr. Harrison was
emphatically a friend in need.

Having now nine boys, we resolved to
start on Tuesday, the 30th of June. We
spent the morning of the 29th in packing,
dividing the provisions into loads of forty

1 16 ADVENTURES chap.

pounds each, having been told that this was
the correct weight. Then tired, hungry, but
hopeful, we sat down to luncheon.

Suddenly a crowd of natives presented
themselves at the entrance of our tent. As
we gazed at them in wonder, their ranks
opened, and there, in the centre, stood
Wilkins, leaning on his gun and enjoying
our surprise. The hero of melodrama does
not achieve a more effective entrance ! For
quite five minutes Wilkins refused to do
more than wave his hand towards his
followers, and repeat in a sepulchral voice,
"I'm here." At last we persuaded him to
come in and have some luncheon, leaving
the natives to squat outside.

Gradually Dr. Glanville broke to him the
fact that he proposed leaving the next day,
but that he expected Wilkins to remain
behind in charge of the stores.

I think the poor old man nearly went out
of his mind with mortified vanity. He
wandered about unpacking everything, taking
out food-stuffs, and filling up the loads with

in IN MASHONALAND 117

saucepan lids. Sister Lucy and I consulted
together, and came to the conclusion that the
best thing to do was to leave him quite
alone ; and, in fact, after a great deal of
noise and confusion, he retired to his tent
and went to sleep.

Just then a man-of-war's launch puffed up
to the landing-place, bringing the new Vice-
Consul, Lieutenant Robertson of the Brisk,
who presently came to our tent, and offered
us a large supply of oranges for the road.
He was very cheery about our enterprise,
declaring that though difficult, and even
hazardous, it was feasible, and he felt sure
we should carry it through successfully.
These were the first hopeful words we had
heard on the subject, and they did us a
world of good.

By the following day the wrath of Wilkins
had subsided, but now a fresh difficulty arose.
Dr. Doyle Glanville asked, who had money ?
"This," he said, throwing two sovereigns
on the table, " is all the money I possess."
We nurses had about ^"14 between us.

n8 ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND chap, hi

There were between thirty -five and forty-
carriers ; nearly £^o had to be divided
between them before they would stir.
Neither the Doctor nor Wilkins had any
authority from the Bishop to borrow money,
and no one in camp would lend it on their
word. Wilkins had given most of his ready
money to Dr. Knight Bruce, and could only
spare a small sum. The situation was very
uncomfortable ; but in our emergency Lieu-
tenant Robertson came to our aid, lent Dr.
Glanville ^20, and enabled us to depart.

CHAPTER IV

The start — A " dug-out " — Missing load — A kraal — Native
funeral — On the road — Another kraal — Lions — A
Portuguese breakfast — No water — Captain Winslow —
We meet two white men — Honey-birds — Lions again
— Sarmento — A native hunt — Trouble with carriers —
Forced march — Masse-Kesse — We lose our way —
Illness of Sister Aimde — At last Umtali — The Bishop.

We left 'Mpanda's about three o'clock in the
afternoon, intending to stay a few miles out
of the camp, so as to start on our walk early
the next morning, the ist of July. Our
departure had been delayed in many ways.
The carriers became troublesome ; some
rushed off to the canteen to drink, others
refused to take up their loads. At last we
three, with Dr. Glanville and seven boys,
started off, accompanied for the first mile
or two by the Consul, Mr. Robertson, the
Portuguese Commandante, and one or two

ADVENTURES

other men. Mr. Sutton remained behind
to drive on the other boys. After about
an hour's walking we said farewell to our
friends, and pushed on alone, — not for long,
however, as the Consul came running after
us to say we were on the wrong path. We
had to retrace our steps for a long way.

By this time the sun was getting low in
the heavens. In Africa when the sun sets,
it gets dark almost immediately, there being
hardly any twilight. We were therefore
very glad to find ourselves once more on
the right path, and, soon after, we met Mr.
Sutton, who had turned back to look for us.
He told us we should have to cross the
Pungwe, to get to the kraal where we meant
to make our first encampment. It was
almost dark when we reached the river,
where we found our carriers and their loads
waiting their turn to cross. This took a
long time, there being only one little canoe,
or " dug-out," paddled by a curious shrivelled-
up old native. The "dug-out" is made
from the trunk of a tree with the inside

iv IN MASHONALAND 121

scooped out. We three got into it, sitting
very carefully on the edges, there being no
seats, or even sticks laid across, and it was
too narrow to admit of our sitting at the
bottom. We were in mortal terror, and
almost afraid to breathe, for the least move-
ment upsets these frail little barks, and the
river, as we knew, swarmed with crocodiles.
It was a great relief to be on terra firma
again, and to watch the rest of our party
crossing.

Night had quite set in by this time ; and
the shadowy line of carriers, standing at
the water's edge, looked strange and unreal.
On a high bank above the river we found a
small kraal, where we began to make pre-
parations for the night.

A kraal is a native village, composed of
either many or few huts, in shape like bee-
hives, into which you literally crawl on hands
and knees. The huts are made with a
framework of wood, the roof covered with
grass, and the sides plastered with mud.
The floor also is mud, but beaten into a

122 ADVENTURES chap.

smooth, hard surface. The ground outside
the huts is also beaten into this same hard
surface.

Supper was the first thing to prepare, but
could not be achieved without lights. We
hunted through all our bundles, but could
discover no candles or lanterns. To our
dismay we found the boy who had charge of
this load to be missing. There was nothing
to be done, then, but make the best of it.
Our boys lighted a fire of mealie stalks and
dried reeds, there being no wood anywhere
near. It was not a very good fire, for reeds
only flare up for a short time, smoulder away,
and give no heat. We ate a hasty supper of
corned beef and biscuits with a little coffee ;
rolled ourselves in our blankets, with a water-
proof sheet spread over us ; and tried to
sleep by the fire. To keep it going we had
to sacrifice a wooden box, and the two men
undertook to replenish it, but Dr. Glanville
fell asleep at his post. If it had not been
for Sister Aimee, who acted as stoker, we
should have come off very badly. All night

iv IN MASHONALAND 123

long we heard the roar of lions in the dis-
tance, and every now and then the weird cry
of the hyaenas, which prowled and rustled in
the mealie field. Towards morning we were
roused from troubled sleep by frightful yells
and lamentations, a sort of dismal chant
broken by long sobbing wails. It was
really a blood-curdling sound, and for some
moments we were afraid to move or speak.
At last, seeing that our natives were paying
little or no attention to it, we made inquiries,
and found that one of the inhabitants of the
kraal had just died, and that his people were
keening over him, much as mourners do in
Ireland. As we got up we were requested
to retire to a distant corner of the kraal, and
not to cross the path along which the body
was to be carried. It was borne away in a
very ingenious sort of wicker - work coffin,
made of reeds and rushes.

After some little trouble we secured a
pail of water, retired into the mealies, and
made a rapid toilet, whilst the men boiled
some cocoa. When we had partaken of this

124 ADVENTURES

we could do nothing but wait patiently till
our missing boy and his load had been found
— we had been obliged to send a runner back
to 'Mpanda's to hunt him up. Our diffi-
culties were a good deal increased by the
fact that neither Dr. Glanville nor Mr.
Sutton could speak a word of the language.
We three knew only just enough to ask for
water, or a fire, or one or two other things.
Again it was Sister Aimee who saved the
situation by being able to talk Portuguese.
We found to our joy that three or four
of our carriers were Portuguese speaking
natives, so these boys acted as interpreters
between us and the other natives.

It was quite ten o'clock before we could
make a real start ; however, once off, we did
a good day's march over rough, uninteresting
ground. We halted for a few minutes every
hour or so, walking on these Kaffir paths
being very tiring. They are so narrow, and
the grass on either side so tall, that there
might easily be a number of people a few
yards in front of you, and yet you might

iv IN MASHONALAND 125

walk for hours quite unaware of their
proximity.

At the first large kraal that we came to,
all the village turned out to look at us, we
being the first white women they had seen.
They presented us with a large jar of
"chuali," or native beer, which our carriers
drank, and in return we gave them some
beads. It is not considered etiquette to pass
through any of these native villages without
giving the chief a present of some kind —
a few u beads " or a stretch of " limbo " will
do. A stretch is measured by holding out
both arms as far as you can, and measuring
from finger-tip to finger-tip. Roughly speak-
ing, one gives about two yards. With this
we could buy a good deal of meal from
natives, who preferred it to money.

Soon after we left this kraal we found the
path very rough, and the walking difficult ;
the heat also became intense ; and, being
unused to marching, we began to get very
weary. At about three o'clock we came to
another large village, and found, to our

126 AD VENTURES chap.

regret, that the natives would go no farther,
and that we should have to spend the night
there. These kraals are very dirty and
noisy. After a delightful bath in the
Pungw6, during which we kept in shallow
water looking out for crocodiles, we felt
much revived, and set to work and cooked
quite a splendid dinner of eggs and fowl
procured from the natives. Our boys made
a sort of "lean-to" with a few poles, grass,
and their loads. We had a fairly good
night, but found the ground very hard ; and
the lions were so near, that we could hear
the pig-like grunt they make when they are
hunting. By this time we were so accus-
tomed to them that we were much less
terrified of them, and almost began to look
upon them as bores that kept one awake
when one was sleepy.

The next morning we got off fairly early.
The men were very lazy, and we had to
rouse them always, get breakfast ready, and
start the camp. Our path led us across
the Pungwe again, but this time we were

iv IN MASHONALAND 127

each carried over on the shoulders of two
boys, the ford not being deep. The other
boys plunged in, making a great noise,
shouting, and beating the water, to frighten
away the crocodiles. A Portuguese hut was
built on the opposite bank, and here an
agent of the Mozambique Company lived.
Like all Portuguese he was extremely kind
and courteous, and gave us an excellent
breakfast. After leaving the hut we had
a long march of about fifteen miles without
water. The track crossed a burnt-up plain,
and then lost itself in a long stretch of loose
sand, where at every step forward one
seemed to slip two back. Trying as it is
to walk through grass that is ten feet high,
coarse, strong, slashing your face as you
push your way through, we were glad when
we came to patches of it, because of the
slender shade it afforded. Like all novices
at such work, we had, early in the day,
impatiently drained the water bottles. Then
came some hours during which we suffered
considerably from thirst before we reached

128 ADVENTURES

any water. This we did late in the after-
noon, when we came upon some rude
bamboo huts beside a dismal swamp. Cap-
tain Winslow, of H.M.S. Brisk, whom we
met shortly after leaving the Portuguese
hut, had slept there the night before, and
had had one of the huts cleaned out, so
that, after the floor was covered with a pile
of fresh grass, we found it very comfortable.
In the other shelter a young Englishman
was dining. We confiscated his coffee, drink-
ing it up in the twinkling of an eye. No
coffee has ever tasted or ever could taste
like that. We longed for water, but dared
not touch it till it had been boiled. Even
when made into tea it tasted of swamp.
This young Englishman, whose coffee we
absorbed, was on his way up country. He
seemed to have suffered a good deal from
fever, and was even then light-headed. The
friend who was travelling with him had
followed a honey-bird, and soon came back
to the hut with the honey in a sort of palm-
leaf basket. The honey- bird is a curious

iv IN MASHONALAND 129

little creature, something like a water-wag-
tail. It comes fluttering about a man till
he follows it, and then it leads him to some
hollow tree, or cleft in a rock, which is full
of honey. It seems to know that, without
the help of man, it cannot obtain the spoil
it covets. When the combs are rifled, one
is always left for the little feathered guide ;
otherwise, the natives say, it will never
again lead anyone to a bees' nest. We
saw numbers of these honey -birds, but of
course could not follow them.

The night spent in this shelter might
have been passed outside a lion's cage in
the Zoo. The lions, coming down to drink
at the swampy pool just in front of our huts,
made such a terrific noise that the earth
seemed to shake with their roaring. It was
a strange sensation to find ourselves so near
all these wild creatures, with not even the
slenderest door or mat to shut them out of
our hut. In the morning the spoor of an
elephant was seen, which the young fellow
who had followed the honey-bird spoored,

i3o ADVENTURES

and shot a few hours later. His name was
Carrick, one of our model patients later on
at Umtali, and still a valued friend.

The next morning we were up at the
dawn of day, reaching Sarmento early in
the afternoon. Our path lay through a
beautiful park -like country, with big trees
dotted about, and here and there great
clumps of palm-trees. We passed many
herd of game, great buffaloes quietly grazing,
who stood and looked at us, but hardly took
the trouble to move out of our way, and
troops of every kind of deer — wildebeest,
hartebeest, water-buck, etc. The men who
were with us evidently knew little about
shooting. Several futile attempts were made
to get a buck, but the guns either went off
unexpectedly, or else refused to go off at
all. The natives, who are very keen sports-
men, lost all patience, threw down their
bundles, and proceeded to hunt a buffalo on
their own account, and succeeded in killing
him with their assegais after some little time.
Then, covered with blood, they trotted after

iv IN MASHONALAND 131

us to Sarmento, with great lumps of gory
flesh tied on to their bundles. The Bishop's
bag, containing his robes, was not spared,
and his spotless lawn was deeply stained.

Sarmento is nearly forty-five miles from
'Mpanda's ; we reached it in about two days
and a half. It was not such bad walking
as English people might think. Time must
be allowed for fording streams, and getting
through swamps and long grass ; and the
great heat must also be taken into account.
Like most Portuguese villages, Sarmento
was very dirty, but it is a lovely spot,
situated on a high plateau, embedded in
trees, with the broad Pungwe rushing below,
dashing over great rocks, with trees droop-
ing over the water. We found the Portu-
guese extremely civil. Mr. Almaida, the
Mozambique Company's agent, kindly placed
his own hut at our disposal, sending us wine,
eggs, candles, etc., and doing all he could
to make us comfortable.

The next day we were off betimes, all
much refreshed by the rest. We began now

132 ADVENTURES chap.

to feel a little uneasy about our carriers, for
we knew that their own kraal lay somewhere
near at hand. We had been warned that we
should experience no little difficulty in getting
them past this place. They left Sarmento
at a tremendous pace, with a good deal of
singing and shouting. About ten o'clock
we arrived at a large kraal, and here, to our
consternation, the bearers insisted on staying
all day. It was their own home, and no
inducement could tear them away. The
wily "induna," or captain, hid in the woods,
and could not be found till nightfall. So
we had to spend the interval as best we
could, bathing in the river, and wandering
in the wood.

All the men and women in this village
came and scraped their feet against the
ground in front of us — a native mode of
salutation — and we gave the usual present
of beads or limbo. Then there came some
very old women with baskets of lovely white
meal, which they laid at Sister Aimee's feet.
This, I believe, is considered rather an

iv IN MASHONALAND 133

unusual honour, for as a rule the natives
are very chary of giving away meal, which
constitutes their principal food. Towards
dusk the chief reappeared and demanded
blankets for all his boys. Dr. Glanville
became very angry and drove him off. In
consequence of this we had a sleepless night.
For the Doctor and Mr. Sutton — being
afraid the boys would not only run away,
but might attack us — sat up all night with
loaded guns, a demonstration not a little
alarming to us, considering that neither of
them appeared to know much about fire-
arms. However, nothing happened, but the
next morning the induna came with his men,
and laid all the money received from us down
at Sister Aimee's feet, declaring they would
go no farther. After a very long talk they
consented to proceed on condition of re-
ceiving extra blankets at Masse- Kesse. The
fact that none of us could talk to them in
their own language left us at a great dis-
advantage. The whole party depending on
Sister Aimee's small knowledge of Portu-

34 ADVENTURES

guese, we could not feel sure that our
Portuguese native translated our wishes
faithfully. The white men of our party
lost much prestige with the carriers through
being unable to give them any orders.
These wild natives do not understand beine
commanded by women, who as a rule
represent to them nothing but the chief
domestic animal, intended only for hewing
wood, carrying water, grinding corn, and
so on.

Once off, the boys went splendidly through
a lovely bit of country, full of tall palms,
banana trees, and great groves of feathery
bamboos. Pretty as it was we were anxious
to get through it as quickly as we could ; for
a white traveller, who had given us a plan of
the country, had written against this place
two ominous words, " Ware lions."

The next two days were wet and rather
miserable. We got soaked to the skin as
we walked through the long, wet grass.
The boys too went badly, wanting to stop
at every opportunity. We had great diffi-

iv IN MASHONALAND 135

culty in starting them at all in the mornings.
We could not get properly dry at night, for
the fires burnt badly on account of the rain.
The rude grass shelters that the boys put
up for us to sleep in at night were hardly
water-tight. Hyaenas made night hideous,
coming quite close to our little camp. I
think the shriek these animals utter is more
objectionable than the cry of any other wild
beast. It fills one with shuddering horror,
and is more like the wail of a lost soul than
a mere earthly sound.

We met two white men the next morning
returning to 'M panda's with a letter from the
Bishop, who was terribly in want of stores.
This acted as a kind of spur, and we pushed
on with renewed energy. Soon the sun
came out, and we reached Mandanjiva, a
deserted Portuguese village, perfectly dry,
and again in good spirits. Here we had a
delightful bathe ; and tried to settle down for
the night in a dirty, huge, barn-like shelter,
open on all sides but one. However, the
hyaenas drove away sleep by their terrible

36 ADVENTURES

noise, and even went so far as to sniff round
our barn. We were not sorry, therefore,
when morning dawned, and we could hasten
away from this dreary place.

Now the road became dreadful. There
were hours of walking through grass ten
feet high ; through tall rushes that slashed
one's face ; through small bogs and shallow
streams into which we dashed, boots and all,
much to the delight of the boys, but to the
horror of our white escort. However, the
sun dries one almost at once, and it saved
endless time. Here and there we met un-
fortunate young fellows who had had the
fever ; had tried to reach Fort Salisbury ; but,
alas ! had been obliged to turn back, and were
then on their way down to the coast, ill and
half ruined. They gave us terrible accounts
of the state of things up country, and ap-
peared to look on us as half mad for
attempting to go on. We gave them pro-
visions, and sped them on their way.

All went well with us till we reached
Chimoio, a large kraal and Portuguese

iv IN MASHONALAND 137

station. Here the Bishop had been nearly
shot, being taken for a Portuguese officer.
Mr. Fiennes, who was commanding the
Chartered Company's Police, happily recog-
nised him in time. The Bishop's arrival
prevented a fight between the Portuguese
and Company's people. He told them that
the convention between England and Por-
tugal had been signed. The kraal of
Chimoio was situated in the midst of a
lovely country with wooded hills, great
rocks and crags all round. The natives here
seemed much less friendly, and we had
considerable difficulty in buying a fowl from
them for supper. We tried to obtain a
runner to send on to Umtali, to announce
our near approach to the Bishop, who
thought of us as still being at 'Mpanda's ;
but this we were unable to do.

Retiring to rest between ten and eleven,
we were roused by our faithful Portuguese
speaking boys, with the terrible announce-
ment that all the carriers had fled. Having
built us a shelter, these four boys, who

138 ADVENTURES

proudly called themselves "the household
servants," had gone to sleep in a little hut
close by. Waking to make up the fire,
they had seen the last of our carriers vanish-
ing in the distance. Dr. Glanville and
Mr. Sutton immediately started in pursuit,
but of course never even caught a glimpse of
the fleet natives. There we were stranded
with four boys, seventy miles from Umtali,
surrounded by our stores and no means of
taking them with us ! It is bad enough for
men to be abandoned on the veldt : for
women, of course, it was worse.

At first we felt rather miserable, but
lamentations were useless. What was to be
done ? that was the question. A council
was held, and it was decided that Dr.
Glanville, ourselves, and three boys, should
push on to Umtali, leaving Mr. Sutton with
one boy to look after the stores till we could
send and rescue him. After this was settled
we composed ourselves as best we could for
the few remaining hours that were left before
daylight. A few necessaries were hastily

iv IN MASHONALAND 139

packed — we left most of our blankets behind
us — and with three days' biscuits, beef, and
tea, set out for Umtali on the 4th of July.
Just as we were leaving the village we came
across a camp of white men, who had arrived
during the night, and who proceeded to
Umtali a few hours after ourselves. They
all turned out to stare at us, saying it was
wonderful we should have got so far, but
shaking their heads at the idea of our reach-
ing Umtali in four days' time. Defying
their predictions, we went on, and kept up a
really good pace all day, halting for the night
in a lovely wood, where we had a delicious
bath in an ice-cold mountain stream. We
found the ground somewhat hard, having so
few blankets, but in spite of this we passed a
tolerably good night.

The next morning we made an early start,
and after about an hour's walk found our-
selves in a terrible swamp. The boys and
their loads got through with difficulty, and
then came back to carry us over the worst
places, into which they sank sometimes above

140 ADVENTURES chap.

their waists. It was an unpleasant experience,
some of these bogs being like quicksands,
swallowing unfortunate people alive. We
heard afterwards that two boys had been lost
there that year. However, we all got
through safely, and went on climbing over
mountain sides, even wading through deep
streams so as not to wear out our three
already heavily-laden boys by making them
carry us across. At nightfall we found our-
selves outside Masse- Kesse. We were told
that this walk from Chimoio to Masse- Kesse
was then the quickest on record, so we were
inclined to give ourselves great airs, as of
" African travellers." However, we cer-
tainly seemed to have got over the ground
more quickly than the average man did in
those early days, which was very creditable.

Just before reaching Masse- Kesse we
met a Mr. Paterson. He too brought us a
note from the Bishop, in which he said how
much he should like to see us, but how im-
possible it seemed to get us up to our des-
tination. Mr. Paterson was much astonished

iv IN MASHONALAND 141

to see us with only three boys, no tents, no
machilas — in fact, it was difficult to make him
believe that we were alone, and had not a
trail of carriers somewhere behind in the
bush.

Masse-Kesse was a red earth fort, stand-
ing on a small eminence in the midst of
lovely surroundings. I believe this fort was
well built, and imagined as a defence against
natives, but it could be of no use against
Europeans. As we saw it, the walls were
partly battered down, and over the great en-
trance there still remained a big V. R., which
the English had put up and the Portuguese
had not removed. The country round was
lovely. On the horizon one saw a semicircle
of mountains, the nearer ones wooded to the
summit ; whilst beyond one caught a glimpse
of blue, rocky peaks melting away into the
distance. The plain was covered with tall
waving grass, and it was only on closer in-
spection that one saw how rank and coarse
it was. At a distance it might fairly well
have been taken for corn-fields or hay-

142 ADVENTURES

meadows before the harvest. I have been
told that hundreds of years ago monks
lived at Masse- Kesse, who planted orange
trees and lemon groves, the fruit of which
we still eat in this nineteenth century of
ours.

We found the Commandante at Masse-
Kesse exceedingly civil ; which was more
than we had any right to expect, considering
how the Portuguese had been treated by the
English. He kindly sent one of his own
boys over to Umtali, a distance of eighteen
miles, to warn the Bishop of our very un-
expected arrival. We hoped by this means
to save him from inconvenience.

After quitting the fort we lost our way, and
had to encamp in a wood early in the after-
noon, whilst our boys went to a kraal some
miles distant to obtain what information they
could about the way to Umtali. The next
day we set off early, and hoped to reach our
destination after a few hours' walking. We
were obliged to make a forced march, because
our provisions had run short. There was

iv IN MASHONALAND 143

indeed nothing left but a little tea and half
a pot of bovril.

This was the hardest day of all. A bad
rocky path ; hill after hill to climb ; valleys
and ravines to cross; burning heat; and, worst
of all, for some hours we could find no water.
Even the boys, who seem made of iron, began
to lag. As to Sister Aim6e she looked half
dead. I was terribly anxious about her,
feeling sure she must have fever, for, as I
took her hand, her skin seemed to burn me.
When we did finally reach Umtali her tem-
perature was 1050. Those of my readers
who have had even a slight touch of fever
will know better than I can tell them what
she must have suffered, whilst forcing herself
along in that condition. At last we came to
a small stream, where we bathed our faces,
rinsing out our mouths, as we did not dare
to drink much in our heated state. Much
refreshed, we longed to light a fire and make
some bovril, but there was no wood to be
found anywhere near, so we had to go on.
After another couple of hours' walking, we

144 ADVENTURES

came to a larger stream in a grove of
bananas, and here we halted and made
some soup. This reviving us somewhat,
we felt able to make a fresh effort. Then
there were more hills to climb, more valleys
and ravines to cross, interspersed with long
stretches of tall grass, which after a time
had a most bewilderingly dizzy effect. At
last, towards sunset, Dr. Glanville descried
a distant flag — Umtali ! The sight of that
flag gave us new spirit. We now felt sure
we were on the right road, which before had
seemed very doubtful, — our Portuguese boy
never being able to say anything more re-
assuring than, " It appears that it may be
the right road ; it appears that it may not
be." Half an hour's quick marching brought
us to a small river. As Sister Aimee was
scrambling over a fallen tree, which served
as a bridge, a hand was suddenly stretched
out to help her. It was the Bishop ! He
looked extremely well, and welcomed us
warmly. He had only received our note an
hour or two before, and was preparing his

iv IN MASHONALAND 145

hut for us. He was horrified to find Sister
Aimee so ill ; indeed, by this time it was all
we could do to get her up the steep hill, on
the top of which the Bishop was then stay-
ing. To my great joy I found I could give
her half a cup of milk, this being the first
time for many weeks that we had seen fresh
milk. The next few days passed like a
horrible nightmare. Fever even when one
has every convenience is unpleasant enough.
But a bad attack in the wilds of Africa, with
nothing to mitigate it, only the hard earth to
lie on, and insufficient blankets, is something
not easily forgotten. For many days Sister
Aimee gave us cause for grave anxiety, but
as soon as she had turned the corner she
quickly recovered.

CHAPTER V

Sabi Ophir — Illness of Dr. Glanville — Dr. Lichfield —
Lieutenant Eustace Fiennes — No boots — High prices
— Maquaniqua the queen — Arrival of Mr. Sutton —
Holy Communion — Captain Heany — Sad death of
Dr. Glanville — Site of the Mission farm — Appearance
of Colonel Pennefather.

The huts in which we were now established
belonged to a Mr. Campion, the manager of
the Sabi Ophir Mining Company. They
were square and small. We three nurses
occupied one, which had been rudely divided
into two ; Mr. Campion a still smaller one ;
the Bishop a third. Dr. Glanville was ac-
commodated in a tent. The encampment
was perched on the top of a steep, rocky hill,
and in the space in front of the huts an
enormous tree of the fig species spread forth
its branches. This was the only large tree
in the whole district, and Sabi Ophir Hill

I

chap, v ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND 147

was known to the natives as the " hill of the
great tree."

As soon as Sister Aimee was sufficiently
recovered to admit of any work being done
in the hut, our host set his boys to work, and
caused rude stretchers to be put up for us.
These were composed of a rough framework*
attached to poles driven into the earth, along
which branches were tied, so as to form a
rough kind of lattice work. Over this a few
bundles of grass were laid, and, lo ! you had
a bed ! It was much pleasanter to sleep on
one of these stretchers than on the floor, as
one could escape from the ants, and in some
degree from the rats. It was not, however,
the perfection of comfort, as one woke up
every morning bruised and aching, and
covered from head to foot with a neat im-
pression of the lattice work on which one
had lain. The Bishop had his air-bed with
him, and kindly lent it to Sister Aimee for
the days when she was at the worst, and
she found it a great comfort.

The forced march from Chimoio to Um-

148 ADVENTURES chap.

tali had told on Dr. Glanville, so Dr. Knight
Bruce gave him two days' rest before send-
ing him back with carriers to relieve Mr.
Sutton. He started on the return journey
on Friday, the 17th of July, but, to our sur-
prise and dismay, he returned unexpectedly
on the following Monday, in a strangely
exhausted condition, and unable to give any
account of himself. One native was with him,
and explained that " the white man " had
fallen ill, had halted at a kraal, had sent the
carriers on to Chimoio's, and had remained
lying down and " talking foolish " till that
morning. The Doctor was still inclined to
" talk foolish," and was in a very strange
condition both physically and mentally.

The Bishop sent over to the Police camp
for Dr. Lichfield, who arrived shortly after.
He pronounced Dr. Glanville to be "very
tired," which was obvious, and ordered feed-
ing up and rest. To rest was easy, to be
fed up difficult. We had nothing but the
Chartered Company's musty meal and fly-
stricken ox. The latter luxury often failed

v IN MASHONALAND 149

us, nor was it, at its best, tempting. Again
Mr. Campion came to the rescue with fowls
and a few eggs, so that in a day or so our
patient was sufficiently improved to discuss
future plans with the Bishop.

The result of the discussion was that Dr.
Glanville severed his connection with the
Mission, and, having some acquaintances in
the Police camp, appealed to them for the
means of going on to Salisbury.

Foremost amongst these friends was
Lieutenant Eustace Fiennes, brother of the
present Lord Saye and Sele, whom we came
to regard as a sort of special providence.
He saved us as far as possible from the
inevitable difficulties that beset inexperienced
pioneers like ourselves, and was invariably
kind, courteous, and helpful— to say nothing of
being a very jolly young fellow and excellent
company. Nothing, indeed, could have ex-
ceeded the kindness of both officers and men
of the Chartered Company's Police. We take
this opportunity of thanking them individu-
ally and collectively for all they did for us.

150 ADVENTURES chap.

Meanwhile we heard nothing about the
hospital, and, after waiting a little for the
Bishop to speak, we at last asked him what
had been settled. He said that he had been
to Salisbury, and, having seen the Adminis-
trator, had decided not to open a Mission
hospital, but to establish us in one which the
Company would build. He had, accom-
panied by Mr. Duncan, the Surveyor-General,
chosen a spot near the site of his own Mission
farm, and here the Chartered Company would
put up wattle and daub buildings as soon as
possible.

For the moment we could not go and see
this site ; for, having been unable to bring
much luggage from Chimoio, and hoping
that Mr. Sutton would be able to engage
boys and follow us immediately, we had
merely taken food and blankets with us.
We were in consequence shoeless, the last
three days of rough and rapid marching hav-
ing almost torn our boots off our feet, though
they had been in excellent condition as far as
Chimoio. What I called " boots " consisted

v IN MASHONALAND 151

of a collection of rags bound to my feet with
bandages. Sisters Lucy Sleeman and B.
Welby were in much the same condition.
We could not explore the country, or do
more than potter about in front of our huts.

Just before our arrival a trader had made
his way to Umtali from Fort Salisbury. He
brought some provisions, but no candles.
At that time of year the sun sets at about
six o'clock, darkness descends on the earth
immediately, and it does not become light
again till nearly seven in the morning. The
long hours of darkness, during which we
lived in an enforced state of idleness, were
very trying. In the Police camp "one
farthing dip " was sold for a guinea. Some-
times this treasure was raffled for — the for-
tunate seller exacting money down, and the
right to sit with the candle. Mr. Fiennes
contrived to send us two or three, which
were made to last for weeks.

One morning a Mashona queen, aunt of
MTassa, the kinglet of Manica, came to see
us. She was a powerful chieftainess, owning

152 ADVENTURES chap.

sway over many kraals in the valley watered
by the Revue river, and stretching away
from Umtali towards Masse-Kesse. At the
battle of Chua, before referred to, she brought
her natives to fight for the Chartered Com-
pany, and led them herself; and when they
ran away, as Mashonas generally do, smashed
in with her battle-axe the heads of as many
runaways as she could catch. She herself
remained under fire with the utmost com-
posure. Her name was Maquaniqua. The
" Queen " stalked up to the great fig-tree
before our door, and squatted under it, send-
ing a man, bearing her curious battle-axe of
black wood elaborately inlaid with brass, to
announce her arrival to us. Another native
brought presents to us. These were some-
what unworthy of a great potentate, consist-
ing as they did of a basket of meal, two eggs,
and six sweet potatoes. It was clearly a
case of accepting the will for the deed !

Maquaniqua was a fine specimen of
animal humanity, with a splendid coarse
physique, and an ugly, brutal face. She

v IN MASHONALAND 153

accepted tea, passing her mug, after drink-
ing, to the two men who sat behind her.
These were two of her husbands. We were
told that she had several, whom she divorced
or knocked on the head as seemed most
convenient. Curiously enough, in the kraals
governed by a chieftainess the other women
are in a state of, if possible, more abject sub-
jection than when under the rule of a chief.
The men seem to revenge on their wives
the respect they are forced to show to their
queen.

Maquaniqua, at first interesting and amus-
ing, soon became an awful bore. We could
not get rid of her. When the tea, jam, and
cookies were finished, when she had delivered
a message from M'Tassa to the effect that
the " white women " were welcome, though
he was too great # personage to pay them a
visit, we hoped she would go. Not at all !
She demanded ''fire-water," and was much
disappointed at not receiving any. Then
she took a fancy to a bright tin plate — all
our plates were tin, bright, new, and glitter-

54 ADVENTURES

ing, therefore like silver. Should we sacrifice
a precious plate, and so deliver ourselves
from this swarthy incubus ? We consulted
together, and finally decided on presenting
the plate, with an intimation that, after so
splendid a present, the white women would
not consider her polite if she remained. One
of the Mission natives who could speak
English interpreted. Our intimation had the
desired effect. A German master of the
ceremonies is not a greater stickler for
etiquette than an African chief or chief-
tainess. As Maquaniqua got up to leave,
her escort, clapping their hands in token of
respect, trotted away ; the chieftainess strid-
ing after them, having first handed her plate
to one of her husbands to carry, and giving
the other a little packet of brown sugar
which she had obtained from us.

That same day Mr. Sutton arrived from
Chimoio, greatly to our delight. The poor lad
had been very ill indeed with fever, and while
he was lying in a state of extreme exhaustion
some white men came into the wretched

v IN MASHONALAND 155

shelter in which he lay, pronounced him to
be "doosid dicky," and not likely to "pull
out," and forthwith — after helping themselves
to food, his knife, his kettle, and any other
appliance they required — left him to his fate.
Fortunately the carriers from Umtali arrived
the next day, and in a short time he was on
his legs again. He very pluckily set out for
Umtali, almost as soon as he could stand.
It is astonishing how quickly that African
fever prostrates a man, and with what equal
rapidity he recovers — or dies — as the case
may be. This is perhaps true only of its
first attacks. Later on, when a man is
saturated with malaria, he seems unable to
shake off the fever. The recurrences are
slight, but persistent, and it is then that
complications arise and health is completely
undermined.

The day after Mr. Sutton's arrival was
Sunday, and the Bishop held a celebration.
We were at our wit's end to arrange for this
ceremony, which was to take place in the hut
where the Bishop slept, and where there was

156 ADVENTURES

a rough table made of reeds and boughs of
trees. With a little white limbo we con-
trived to make this look presentable, but
there was neither chalice nor patten. What
were we to do ? We had one or two battered
enamelled tin mugs to drink out of, supple-
menting deficient tea-cups with empty cocoa-
tins. These, of course, were not to be
thought of. On our consulting the Bishop,
he suggested that a metal cup belonging to a
flask in which brown sugar used to appear
might do. Nothing else being available we
turned out the sugar, polished the cup to the
utmost, and reluctantly placed it on the
improvised communion table. To such
straits is a missionary bishop sometimes
reduced !

On Monday Dr. Knight Bruce left Sabi
Ophir to go and live at the spot selected for
his farm, where he had had some huts put up.
Mr. Sutton accompanied him, volunteering
his services till such time as the Mission
could fill the vacancy left by Dr. Glanville.
This gentleman had found a friend in need

v IN MASHONALAND 157

in the person of Captain Heany of the Road-
Making Company, better known as the
leader of the Mashonaland Pioneers, whose
entry into the hitherto unexplored country
had paved the way for the British South
Africa Company's Police.

This pioneer captain was ever ready to
stretch a helping hand to those in need.
Indeed, his reckless generosity finally some-
what crippled his resources, which, though
large, were not unlimited. He hailed from
Virginia, owned kinship with Edgar Allan
Poe, and, under the somewhat rough exterior
of a pioneer, concealed refined tastes and un-
expected culture. He was, deservedly, one
of the most popular men in Mashonaland.
To him everyone went for help or advice ;
and, wherever he built his hut, a rude village
was certain to spring up in a few days.
Captain Heany, then, supplied Dr. Glanville
with food, money, and boys ; and also pro-
cured for him the charge of Sir John Wil-
loughby's horses, which had to be sent to
Salisbury. By this means it was hoped that

158 ADVENTURES chap.

the Doctor would reach his destination safely,
without undue fatigue.

He came to bid us farewell before leaving,
and seemed in better health and spirits than
he had been since we left 'Mpanda's. We
were never destined to meet again, for the
poor fellow died by the roadside within a few
miles of Salisbury. No white man was with
him during his last moments, nor is anything
known of them. Of his three boys, two
remained with him. The third went on to
Salisbury ; reported his death ; and guided
Dr. Rand, of the Company's Police, and Mr.
Hay to the spot. They found that Dr.
Glanville must have been dead for more than
a day. He lay rolled in his blankets, the boys
squatting by a fire at a little distance. The
horses were tied up close at hand. There
was no food in the bundles, though he had left
Umtali well supplied. They buried him where
he lay, a blazed tree marking his last resting-
place. The news of his death did not reach
Umtali for a considerable time. Those were
not the days of rapid communication.

v IN MASHONALAND 159

To return to Manica. One of our first
expeditions was to see the projected site of
the hospital — a distance of about two miles
from Sabi Ophir across the veldt.

Descending from our eyrie, and crossing
by a slippery pole a rapid torrent which
rushed at the foot of the hill, we wound
along, passing beneath the height on which
the Police camp was pitched. The Bishop
was with us, and he was amused to see all
the natives who were working in the camp
tear madly down the slope with a view of
catching a glimpse of the " m'lungas," or
white women. Their masters rushed out too,
ostensibly to recall their boys, but possibly
with a desire to see what the new importa-
tions were like. I think at that time there
were over two hundred police in Manica, and
we had only made acquaintance with a few of
them.

Leaving the camp behind we hastened on
after our guide ; crossed one or two streams
on stepping-stones ; climbed a height or two,
and at last found ourselves on the summit

i6o ADVENTURES

of a grassy slope, backed by towering rocks
and thick bush, where our huts were to be
built. Already poles and grass for one hut
were cut and ready for use.

The hill on which we stood commanded
a splendid view of the grassy plains of the
long narrow valley, rolling away in park-like
stretches, and broken here and there by a
clump of trees, or a pile of gigantic granite
boulders called " kopjes." Though we could
not catch the glint of water, a long line of
thick, dwarf bush, winding like a serpent
along the valley, betrayed the course of the
river. Hills, piled up tier upon tier — some
thickly wooded, some bare and rocky — shut
in the horizon. Truly Manica is a fair land
and a goodly heritage, which he who once
held would be very loth to let go, and is well
worth a fight. African travellers declare it
to be one of the most beautiful spots on the
Dark Continent. A sort of tropical Switzer-
land, its rich gold-fields are perhaps the least
of its attractions. But the dragon which
must be overcome, before its wealth and

v IN MASHONALAND 161

beauty can be enjoyed, is the fever, which
civilisation will soon make short work of.
When the railway unites Manicaland to the
coast, good food and sufficient clothing will
be within reach of every one ; huts will give
place to water-tight houses; and the long,
rank grass will vanish before the increasing
population. In those days very little will be
heard of malarial fever, and the Utopian
dreams of farmer and miner will probably
be more than realised. It is impossible
to travel through these immense fertile
solitudes, without a feeling of intense
wonder and regret that so many thousands
of human beings should live, their whole
lives herded together in the pestilential
slums of European cities. Karma — un-
doubtedly a clear case of Karma !

The quasi - civilisation of Johannesburg
and Kimberley had not initiated us into
the difficulties of pioneer life, though our
experiences in those places were useful in
many ways. We were delighted with the
place of our future abode, and looked for-

M

162 ADVENTURES

ward, without arriere pens^e, to opening a
hospital there.

It was Mr. Fiennes who first raised a
note of alarm. He told us that the innocent-
looking brook we had slipped over so easily
became a raging river during the rains. It
would cut off the hospital from all com-
munication with the Police camp for days
together. The only doctor in the place
lived in the camp, it must be remembered,
and all our provisions came from there. Mr.
Fiennes added that the "doctor's assistant,"
of whom we had heard, existed only on
paper. It would be quite impossible, he
said, for three women to live alone on that
hill, two miles from the doctor or from any
help whatsoever. If a patient were taken
worse at night, we could send no message to
Dr. Lichfield till morning. Not a native would
ever be induced to cross the veldt at night ; nor
would it be fair to ask it in a country where wild
beasts were plentiful. I n the in terests of future
patients we must make a stand, and refuse to
have our hospital on the site chosen for it.

v IN MASHONALAND 163

Here was indeed a dilemma ! We clearly
saw the force of Mr. Fiennes's reasons,
but we did not see how to get matters
remedied. We laid the case before the
Bishop, but he explained that he could not
interfere in the matter. It was, he said,
entirely a question for the Company to
decide. Still he would not disapprove of
our efforts to obtain more suitable arrange-
ments. He would even help us indirectly.
Then began a sort of game of battledore and
shuttlecock. A. referred us and our pro-
testations to B., B. to C, C. sent us back
to A., and nothing was done. At last our
excellent host, Mr. Campion, suggested an
appeal to Captain Heany.

Eagerly catching at any advice which
seemed reasonable, and knowing Captain
Heany's influence to be very great, we set off
to his camp that very afternoon, and asked
his counsel and help. Both were given very
readily, and at a word from him quite a
commotion was created in the country. The
diggers and traders unanimously agreed that

1 64 ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND chap, v

they would have nothing to do with the
proposed hospital if it were placed on that
spot, and would if necessary build one for
themselves. A subscription list was opened,
and a considerable sum was sent to us the
next day.

Just at that time Colonel Pennefather,
of the Inniskillings, who was commanding
the Chartered Company's Police, came from
Salisbury to Umtali, and made a pilgrimage
to our camp on Sabi Ophir Hill. We found
him delightful to deal with. With the
prompt decision of a soldier he had the
vexed question settled in a day, and it was
resolved that we should occupy a small
encampment close to the Police lines. Hos-
pital huts would be built near it, and in two
or three weeks we should be able to receive
patients.

CHAPTER VI

Settling down at Sabi Ophir — Difficulties of cooking — No
luggage — Gold panning — Mr. Sutton leaves the
Bishop — Description of our huts — Visit from a hysena
— Arrival of Mrs. Tulloch and children — The question
of food — Flowers — Mr. Selous visits Umtali — Mr.
Teal devoured by a lion — The native labour question
— Evils of drink — Our boxes are rifled by the natives
— Our first patient — The Administrator arrives at
Umtali — Hospital hut opened — Bishop leaves for
England — Horrors of night duty — Arrival of Mr.
Rhodes — Site of camp moved — The rains begin — Mr.
and Mrs. Bent.

After this excitement life settled back into
monotonous idleness. We endeavoured to
make our leisure useful by acquiring a
knowledge of cookery, but truly it was
learning pursued under difficulties. We
had rations of coarse meal and a piece of
ox flesh. Our cooking utensils consisted
of a three-legged pot and a frying - pan.

1 66 ADVENTURES

How were we to create a dinner ? A year
later we should have produced something
eatable ; but in those days we were incap-
able. We boiled the ox flesh in the three-
legged pot, whence it issued in the condition
of shoe-leather. Mixing the meal with
water, we made the most horrible half-cooked
flat cakes by heating the dough on hot
stones. There was neither baking powder
nor yeast in the country.

One day we received a present of venison,
shot by a Mr. Teal. Now, I had from time
to time saved up a small quantity of sardine
oil, believing myself to be a famous house-
keeper. In a moment of vain self-confidence
I undertook the dinner that night, and we
invited Mr. Campion to come and eat venison
steaks. I fried these steaks in my sardine
oil, and served them proudly. They posi-
tively looked like real steaks, such as people
would eat at home. But, alas ! scarcely had
two mouthfuls been eaten when every one
fled from the table, and my wonderful dinner
was abandoned to the little native who waited

vi IN MASHONALAND 167

on us. He certainly enjoyed it immensely,
so even that ill wind blew somebody good ;
but it was unanimously decided that hence-
forth I was never to be trusted with the pre-
paration of meals, and I was reduced to the
positidn of a kitchen-maid — not, I must
confess, before it was high time.

Rumours now reached us that the Road
Company's waggons had at last arrived at
'Mpanda's, and had begun their return trek.
Then we heard of oxen dying, of long de-
lays on the road, and of fever amongst the
trekkers, some of whom were said to have
died. Captain Heany sent fresh teams of
oxen and waggons down to bring up the
travellers, giving orders that our luggage
was to be secured and brought up. The
Mission people abandoned the waggons, and
trailed up to Umtali, one after the other, each
bringing a few boys and some provisions.
One of them reached Umtali on the 10th of
August, and told us that old Wilkins was
stuck at Chimoio with all the luggage. The
oxen were dead, and he could do nothing till

168 ADVENTURES chap.

the fresh teams arrived. It was quite im-
possible to say when we should get our
clothes ; meanwhile we should have to go on
with the couple of changes of linen we had had
with us on the march, and be very thankful
if we ever again beheld our boxes. We had
made a resolution never to grumble, and
on the whole I think we kept it fairly well.

Meanwhile digging and prospecting went
on actively ; gold reefs were discovered in
every direction ; no one talked of anything
but "booms," "shares," "quartz carrying
visible," and the prospect of finding alluvial
fields. It was amusing to go to a digger's
encampment, see him " crush " his quartz,
and then "pan it." Panning means washing
the crushed quartz in a sort of iron basin,
gradually allowing all the rubbish to flow
away with the water, and then the heavy
gold remains in the bottom of a pan in a thin
yellow streak, often almost imperceptible.
When a miner sees this yellow streak he
exclaims that he has " got colour," and is a
happy man. Finding a great deal of colour

vi IN MASHONALAND 169

is a reason for "going on the burst." Find-
ing nothing at all is also a reason for a
" burst." Thus do extremes meet.

Old^Wilkins reached Umtali on the 16th
of August, having left the luggage at Chimoio
to come up with Captain Heany's waggons.
Shortly after Mr. Sutton left the Mission,
returning to Sabi Ophir. He was such a
good-natured young fellow that we felt sure
the Bishop would miss him. He said he did
not find that the life at the Mission agreed
with him, and preferred seeking for work
elsewhere. Very soon after his arrival at Sabi
Ophir we left that encampment, and took
possession of four huts about fifty yards from
the lines. The officers furnished these huts
for us, and made them astonishingly com-
fortable. They stripped their own huts of
the spoils of Masse-Kesse, and we became
the proud possessors of a real table, chairs, a
pair of candlesticks, and treasure of treasures !
— a bath. The huts were of a round beehive
shape ; the mud walls were concealed behind
a drapery of blue and white limbo, and the

i7o ADVENTURES chap.

earthen floors covered with the white mats
which the natives weave out of split reeds.
These mats are extremely practical, as they
are strong and capable of being washed.

Our encampment was enclosed by a low
wall of loosely piled stones, inside which we
were assured no wild beast would dare to
penetrate. We firmly believed this, and
felt quite safe till an enterprising hyaena tried
to enter into our store hut, where a piece of
ox was suspended from the roof awaiting to
be consumed. I consider it a special pro-
vidence that no wild creatures burst into our
sleeping huts. We had no doors, only a
mat hanging before the opening. Many a
night did we lie awake in terror, listening to
the strange, uncanny noises of the veldt, and
imagining every sort of terrible possibility.
We tried to overcome these terrors, with but
indifferent success ; and I cannot say that we
ever became accustomed to the neighbour-
hood of wild beasts.

About this time a prospector, named
Tulloch, brought his wife and two little

vi IN MASHONALAND 171

children from the coast in machilas. We
went to see Mrs. Tulloch, and found her
in bed with a slight attack of fever ; the two
children* were ill also. It was strange and
delightful to see children again. We made
Mrs. Tulloch promise to bring them over to
see us as soon as possible. Like ourselves,
this family had been forced to leave all their
luggage behind them, and were in want of
provisions. It was a great regret to us that
we could not help them. We had nothing
ourselves but the Company's rations, on
which even the men could not, and were
not expected, to live.

The kindness of the Company's officers
kept us from starvation. The meat rations
often failed to appear, or were uneatable.
Such incidents must be expected in a new
country, but it was very unpleasant to be
conscious that, instead of being able to help,
we were ourselves a burden on the already
heavily taxed resources of the camp. But
there was nothing to be done but accept the
situation till Dr. Jameson, the Administrator,

1 72 AD VENTURES

came down from Salisbury. Meanwhile
every prospector who came to see us brought
an offering. One came with a bake-pot, one
with bananas, one with honey in a bottle. Mr.
Fiennes, who had some cows, sent milk
regularly to us and to Mrs. Tulloch. A
Mashona cow that gives three wine bottles
of milk a day is considered a good cow, so
that the bottle of milk which we received
every day was a very generous gift, and
proved a great boon as soon as we had any
bad case to nurse.

I may seem to lay great stress on our
feeding experiences, but in Africa the food
question is really a burning one. How to
obtain provisions, how to cook them when
procured — these are problems of absorbing
interest in a pioneer camp.

It is curious and interesting to watch the
process of victualling a new country, which
is cut off from ordinary transport organisa-
tion. The first thing a trader asks himself
is, "What will sell best?" The answer is
not far to seek — whisky ! Thereupon he

vi IN MASHONALAND 173

buys up the cheapest spirit he can obtain
in the colony, engages seventy or eighty
natives to " run it up," and floods the country
with fiery poison. To make up the carrier's
loads to the requisite weight he adds a few
conveniently -sized tins of food stuff. He
does not care in the least what sort of food
it is, relying as he does for all his profit on
the whisky. Spirit which he has bought for
15s. the dozen, he sells for 30s. a bottle, and
considers that he is barely making a fair
profit. Meanwhile the provisions he throws
on the market are most eccentric. I re-
member a time when nothing but sardines
could be bought in Umtali. Then came a
period of tinned lobster, to be followed by a
deluge of foie-gras. For a week or two the
whole of Manica breakfasted, dined, supped
on foie-gras — not of the best. A great deal
of illness which was attributed to fever and
climate might with much truth be put down
to the score of eccentric eating and drinking.
Among the things which disappointed us
in Africa were the flowers. There were a

174 ADVENTURES chap.

good many, it is true, and very brilliant ones,
but they came out in successions, like crops,
and so the varied effect so beautiful in
England was entirely lost. Whilst the
hospital huts were in process of construction
we used to go on flower-hunting expeditions,
knowing that soon we should have no time
for wanderings. With the exception of a tall
flag-like lily, which grew along the banks of
rivers, or in pools and swamps, the flowers
consisted chiefly of tree blooms. At that
time, about the middle of September, a tree,
something like an ash as to the leaf, burst
into bloom. The blooms were like bunches
of gigantic buttercups of a brilliant yellow
colour. At first we were delighted with
them. The golden flowers brought light
and colour into our huts, and were admirably
set off by the brown walls. But after two or
three weeks of yellow it became intolerable.
In like manner the scarlet bloom of a species
of azalea at first charmed and then wearied.
Everything in Africa is excessive — the light,
the heat, the vegetation, the wild beasts !

vi IN MASHONALAND 175

Just at that time the great hunter Mr.
Selous came to Umtali. We were much
afraid that we should miss him, but he sent
us word that he would come as soon as he
could get his shirt washed. When we re-
ceived this message we felt sure he was a
delightful person — and our instincts did not
deceive us.

Mr. Selous appeared to be a man of about
eight-and-thirty, light, active, and giving one
an impression of presence of mind and re-
source. Of his personal appearance it is
impossible to remember anything but his
eyes, which are extraordinarily clear and
limpid.

We persuaded our distinguished guest to
tell us some of his adventures, which he did
with great charm and modesty. He is known
throughout Africa as the man who never tells
a lie. If one were to make the most incredible
statement, adding, " Selous told me so," people
would say, " This is a hard saying, but, if
you heard it from Selous, it must be true."
What a splendid reputation to have anywhere,

176 ADVENTURES chap.

but especially in Africa! He told us he
had shot twenty-three lions to his own gun,
and had helped to put an end to nine others.
This was two years ago. We told him about
those we had heard roaring around us on the
way up, and how frightened we had often
been. He said our mode of travelling, sleep-
about in the open beside dim fires, was ex-
tremely foolhardy, and we should probably
have suffered for it had not the country been
so well stocked with game. A hungry lion,
he added, will jump over any fire, and what
he will or will not dare cannot possibly be
calculated.

A terrible event which occurred a few
miles from the camp, just after Mr. Selous
left for Salisbury, gave point to this observa-
tion.

Mr. Teal, the same young fellow whose
venison I had fried in sardine oil, went out
prospecting, taking with him a native servant,
a waggon, and a span of oxen, and leaving his
brother at home on a farm which the two
were beginning to cultivate. The next day

vi IN MASHONALAND 177

the native, beside himself with terror, ap-
peared at the farm, and told the elder Teal
that his brother had been devoured by a lion.
Snatching up his rifle, and calling to his
natives to follow, the distracted man sped
away to the spot where his brother's waggon
was still outspanned. After a brief search,
the head of the unhappy young Teal was
found under a bank. Part of his arm was
lying close by. The native said that after
supping and making up the fire, he and his
master rolled themselves in their blankets,
and went to sleep under the waggon. Sud-
denly, not a rustle having betrayed his
presence, a lion seized the white man by the
foot and dragged him away. The native
crept out from under the other end of the
waggon, and swarmed up a tree. There, in
the bright moonlight, he saw the lion drag
his master across the veldt towards a high
bank. The lioness sprang out of the grass, and
ran after her mate, giving their prey playful
taps in true cat-like fashion, and uttering
little grunts of pleasure. The native had a

N

178 ADVENTURES chap.

rifle, but was too terrified to fire. Had he
done so he might have scared the lions, and
given his master a chance of escape. As it
was, the unhappy man's shrieks were heard
for many minutes.

It was, up to that time, the popular belief
that a lion will not take a man, if he can get
a bullock, and that 'he prefers a native to a
white man. Also that he does not understand
waggons, and is afraid of them. This
horrible tragedy proved all these theories to
be based on nothing.

As soon as this news reached the camp,
Mr. Fiennes went out in search of the lions,
but found, somewhat to his disappointment,
that they had been shot by a Dutchman
the night before.

Mr. Selous gave us a huge bundle of
newspapers before leaving Umtali, and
rifled his waggon to fill our empty store-room.
The papers were a great boon. We had had
no letters since we left Cape Town in April.
English news of any kind seems to bring one
nearer home. We sent some letters off by

vi IN MASHONALAND 179

Mr. Selous, who would take them to
Salisbury, and get them sent on as quickly
as possible. In these days one can send a
letter to Umtali from London in six weeks,
but at the time I am writing of, 1891, it often
took three weeks to reach Salisbury from
Umtali. This will give some idea of the
difficulties which the excellent postal organ-
isation, now existing, had to overcome.

Of late we had seen but little of the
Bishop. He had gone on an exploring tour
to some kraals, with an eye towards future
mission stations. Returning to Umtali at
the beginning of September, he left almost
immediately for Salisbury. The clergyman
who was bringing his waggon across the
Transvaal had as yet made no sign. The
Bishop hoped to get news of him at
Salisbury.

The native labour question in Manica
was almost as vexed a one as the eight hours'
question in England. It was almost im-
possible to procure boys, and, even when one
had succeeded in engaging a few, they

i8o ADVENTURES

promptly fled. In consequence the hospital
huts were making no progress.

M'Tassa, the "King", of Manica, was
dissatisfied with the present the Chartered
Company had given him. He wanted rifles
and cartridges, and had only received old
uniforms, indifferent limbo, and a few caps.
Mr. Fiennes went over to the King's kraal
to remonstrate with him about the behaviour
of his men, and some of the runaway natives
were sent back.

Curiously enough the Bishop, who worked
his boys hard and paid them little, was the
only person in the country with whom the
natives would stay. I think one reason of
his success in managing natives lay in the
fact that he treated them consistently. His
boys were neither playthings nor slaves ;
were well fed, regularly paid, and cared for
when sick. ■

A native never understands familiarity on
the part of his chief. Yet they are so
fantastically quaint, that it is difficult to avoid
laughing at and with them. More than once

vi IN MASHONALAND 181

we split on this rock, our boys becoming idle
and insubordinate. The native, too, believes
in the rea4y money system, and requires to
be paid at the very hour or minute his money
falls due. He appears with a piece of string,
on which he has made a knot for every day
he has worked, stretching out his hands for
"mali" (money). If the "mali" is not
forthcoming that very instant — good-bye to
peace ! You are followed about the whole
day. You drive the man away twenty times ;
he returns. You send for an interpreter,
and explain that gold is coming down in the
waggons but has not yet arrived. Fruitless
effort! The native only repeats, " Nyanga
pelile — funa mali," " The month is finished,
I want money."

The Bishop only paid his boys with a
blanket, or a stretch or two of limbo, worth
perhaps eightpence ; very rarely, he told us,
did he give money ; yet natives swarmed at
the Mission Farm. The Chartered Com-
pany paid £i per month in gold, and found
it very difficult to procure native labour. Of

1 82 ADVENTURES chap.

course the Company's natives had many-
masters — some were good, others brutal and
drunken ; drinking was beginning to take
very great proportions in Umtali.

It was sad, terrible, yet the men had
very many excuses. I do not believe that
any community of men, from any part of the
world, would have shown to much greater
advantage under similar circumstances.

The Umtali-ite of those days had absolutely
nothing to do, was without books or papers,
and had gone through great hardships. The
certainty that it would be more difficult than
any one had supposed, to "open up the
country," as the phrase went, quickly followed
the wild excitement created by the discovery
of wonderful gold - reefs. Drinking bars
abounded — the Jew traders took care of
that. And, in addition to all these causes,
there was that terrible African depression,
which all who have visited the Dark Con-
tinent must experience. It sweeps over a
community, as a mist descends from the
mountain -tops, and difficult indeed is it to

vi IN MASHONALAND 183

shake it off. Therefore, whilst deploring
the fact that two -thirds of the population
were at that time almost always drunk, it
would be extremely unfair to judge them too
harshly. Of course drink increased the diffi-
culties of dealing with the natives, leading as
it did to all kinds of ill-treatment. The
Mashona never retaliates. If kicked and
cuffed, he vanishes in the night, and leaves
no trace.

In spite of all delays one hospital hut
was nearly finished by the 22nd of Septem-
ber. On that eventful day the waggons
which Captain Heany had sent down to
Chimoio returned, bringing with them part
of our luggage. The whole of Sister
Welby's effects were there, and a small box
belonging to Sister Lucy. All my posses-
sions and most of hers were lost. We heard
that they had been abandoned by one of the
Mission men, " somewhere on the veldt."
Though the Chartered Company sent two
exploring parties to search for the boxes, no
trace of them was ever discovered. They

1 84 ADVENTURES chap.

were said to have been rifled by natives.
To this day the route from 'Mpanda's to
Umtali is marked by abandoned waggons,
and broken and rotting packing-cases.

These waggons brought with them a
rumour to the effect that Mr. Rhodes was
on his way from Beira, and would reach
Umtali shortly. Nobody believed this at
the time. Dr. Jameson, the Administrator,
was expected, too, in a few days. We hoped
to see him, and have something definitely
settled with regard to stores. We could not
go on much longer living on public charity,
nor could the officers' mess be expected to
feed us and the patients. The Mission had
no stores to speak of, and the possibility of
getting up any more was very doubtful.

On the 26th of September our first patient
arrived. It was the last sort of case I should
have expected out there, the man being
elderly, and apparently in very nearly the
last stage of phthisis. With care and good
food he might be patched up perhaps, but
good food was not to be had. The hospital

vi IN MASHONALAND 185

hut not being ready, our patient brought a
tent, which, was pitched some little way off,
outside our compound. Dr. Lichfield told
us to give the old man dinner, of " whatever
we had going." As we had nothing going
but some stodgy cookies, the sergeants' mess
undertook to send up "something," and
something did come by and by, in the shape
of a huge plateful of not over fresh tinned
lobster.

None of the Company's officials, not even
the doctor, would take the responsibility of
ordering any "hospital comforts," as they
are called in Africa. So we took the re-
sponsibility on ourselves, feeling sure the
Administrator would come to the rescue ; and
the British South Africa Company's Hospital,
Umtali, was opened with furniture and stores
consisting of two or three iron spoons, two
tin mugs, a couple of pots of Liebig's extract
of meat, and a packet of maizena — a species
of corn-flour, which, when boiled in milk, the
African doctors prefer to arrowroot. It also
serves to make excellent blanc-mange, as we

1 86 ADVENTURES chap.

discovered when we became a little less
stupid about household matters.

Dr. Jameson appeared at Umtali towards
the end of September. "Dr. Jim of Mashona-
land " was well known to us by reputa-
tion, as a brilliant surgeon. Legends of his
wonderful operations and cures will long
linger at Kimberley. His appearance some-
what disappointed us, but before being in his
company five minutes one is struck with his
quickness of perception. Scarcely have you
begun a sentence, when he knows how it will
end. No one sees a point, nor catches an
allusion, with more rapidity. Our first inter-
view with our Administrator was not a par-
ticularly pleasant one. I am free to confess
that we forgot diplomacy, and vented a good
deal of pent-up irritation on our visitor's

head.

Mieux persuade,
Et peut davantage
Un doux visage
Qu'un homme arme*,

is a truth which no woman should forget !

vi IN MASHONALAND 187

Unfortunately Dr. Jameson, in the course
of conversation, said we had come up a year
too early, but that now we had arrived, he
must try and find us patients. " Supposing
you first find a hospital," was the obvious
retort which we did not fail to make. Then,
taking Dr. Jameson's speech to imply blame
to the Bishop for bringing us up, we pro-
ceeded to denounce the muddle of the
Chartered Company's affairs, the drink which
they allowed to be imported for the sake of
revenue, and a great many other things
which were absolutely no business of ours.
" Jameson went into that hut a man, and
came out a mouse," said the officer who
brought him to us, and who sat in silent
dismay in a corner of the hut.

But the Administrator was much too large-
minded to bear malice. Instead of resenting
our impolitic reproaches, he revenged him-
self generously by making every arrangement
both for the hospital and for ourselves, which
the state of the country permitted. From
that date the Chartered Company took entire

1 88 ADVENTURES chap.

charge of us, and, as regarded material wants,
we had nothing more to do with the Mission.
The Administrator authorised us to order
all necessaries for hospital and ourselves, and
the Company paid the bills without a murmur.

The hospital hut being open we took in
three patients, the poor old man in the tent
requesting not to be moved. There was
no chance now of prolonging his life for any-
time. Indeed, he died on the 8th of October.

I shall never forget night-nursing in that
tent. Sister Lucy and I did it together, as
we were each afraid of going up and down the
hill alone. The fate of Mr. Teal was in our
minds, as we sat by a small fire near the
tent, with intense darkness around us, and
the cry of a passing hyaena curdling the blood
in our veins. When the hut was built we
could sit in the porch, the sleeping patients
inside were a sort of company, and the night
seemed to pass more quickly.

On the day on which our first patient
died, the Bishop came to say good-bye. We
had hoped his departure for England would

vi IN MASHONALAND 189

have been delayed till December. His
clergyman, Mr. Sewell, had not yet arrived.
Dr. Knight Bruce himself had only reached
Mashonaland in May, and it seemed a short
sojourn. The dreaded rainy season was at
hand. The whole township and hospital
was to be moved to a distance of five miles,
its present site being considered unfavourable
for the development of a town. Everything
was still in an unsettled state. We could
not help feeling a little forlorn as we saw the
Bishop ride away. However, he explained
that it was absolutely necessary, in the
interests of the Mission, that he should go
to England and collect money. Of course,,
the interests of the Mission came before
everything. Nothing more could be said.

The very day that he left, Mr. Rhodes
arrived. He did not stay in the Police
Camp, but accepted the hospitality offered by
Captain Heany. He was besieged with
petitions of all sorts. Malcontents and
chronic grumblers went to his hut, and came
away in a few moments cheerful and satisfied.

i9o ADVENTURES

Not that anything was altered in the con-
dition of affairs — the man's mere personal
magnetism wrought the change.

The Premier's stay was not to exceed
two days, so we did not expect to see him.
Great was our astonishment, when, on the
morning of Saturday, the ioth of October,
one of the officials rushed breathless to our
hut with the information that Mr. Rhodes
was coming to see us. This man was the
only official who had been persistently
unpleasant, and he had come to request
that we would let bygones be bygones!
His experience of women must have been a
sad one, for we heard that he really believed
we should try and revenge ourselves by com-
plaining to Mr. Rhodes of his behaviour
to us.

As we were leaving the hospital hut, Mr.
Rhodes rode up alone. His appearance and
Roman Emperor type of head are too well
known to need description. We took him
into the hut, knowing our patients would like
to see him. It was not without difficulty

vi IN MASHONALAND 191

that we persuaded him to enter. He said
that if he were ill himself he should not like
a stranger to come and look at him. But
when we told him that the patients would be
greatly disappointed if they did not see him,
he yielded at once. He must have thought
them rather stupid. They stared with • all
the powers of their eyes, but said nothing.
We discovered afterwards that they could
not understand his not having finer clothes.
I think they expected a more gorgeous
apparition, a chain and ring man probably,
suggestive of De Beers Mine.

As soon as Mr. Rhodes was seated on a
box in our hut, he asked for pen and ink,
saying he would give us a cheque at once for
the hospital. How much would we have ?
Would ,£100 do? Amply, we said. Well,
he thought he had better make it ^150. I
feel sure that if we had clamoured for ^500,
he would have given it. His generosity is
proverbial, everything about the man is big
— faults, virtues, projects. His ambition
itself is largely tinctured with altruism. He

192 ADVENTURES chap.

is the darling of Fortune — and that blind
goddess does not often select her favourites
from the Sunday School. We were espe-
cially charmed by the great man's simple
manners, and boyish enjoyment of a joke.
He told us that he had made political capital
out of our walk up. The Cape Town
Government having objected to his journey
to Umtali on the score of danger, he had
answered that if ladies had been able to walk
up without tents or waggons, it would be
absurd for a man not to be afraid to ride up,
as the horses, of course, would fall victims
to the fly ! After this statement he had met
with no further opposition.

Mr. Rhodes remained, chatting delight-
fully, for a couple of hours, and left promis-
ing to see us through all our difficulties.
Nor was this a vain promise. Of his many
kindnesses, we thought most of his having
remembered to replace the small medical
library, which had been lost with our luggage.
The books not being procurable at the Cape,
this busy man took the trouble of having

vi IN MASHONALAND 193

them sent for to England. He left that
evening for Salisbury, leaving every one as
hopeful, enterprising, and confident in the
resources of, the country, as they had been
dispirited and pessimistic before his arrival.

Captain Heyman, of Masse-Kesse fame,
had left Mashonaland some weeks before,
and one of his officers took his place pending
the arrival of Captain Turner, of the Scots,
to whom the appointment of officer in com-
mand and resident magistrate had been given.
Captain Turner was a tall, soldierly young
fellow, with a splendid physique. It would
have seemed almost impossible, then,, to
believe that in less than a year he would
have fallen a victim to the fever-fiend.

After Mr. Rhodes's departure the work of
starting New Umtali began in earnest. Mr.
Fiennes, with some of his police and a num-
ber of natives, encamped over at the new
site, and set to work building the police
camp, together with our huts and the hos-
pital. This last was quite a stately square
building, with a small operation room in the
o

[94 ADVENTURES

centre and a ward on either side ; the whole
being capable of holding from twenty to
thirty sick.

Some sort of change was indeed neces-
sary. The rains had begun ; the existing
hospital hut was an awful place. Hardly a
square inch of roof was water-tight. We
put up an umbrella here, hung a waterproof
sheet there, and did what was possible. But
it remained a cheerless, uncomfortable abode ;
and it went to one's heart to see a sick man
lying in such a place. As to our own huts,
they were past any attempt at patching. We
huddled together in the centre of one, where
there was a dry space of about a yard square,
all the rest being a sort of swamp. How-
ever, the rain was not continuous. A few
hours' sun dried up everything. Things
might have been worse, and were improving
rapidly.

One Sunday afternoon some interesting
visitors appeared at the door of our hut.
They were Mr. and Mrs. Bent, accompanied
by a Mr. Swan. We had hardly shaken

vi IN MASHONALAND 195

hands, when Mrs. Bent asked us what we
thought of her dress. This was a difficult
question to answer. Mrs. Bent's costume
consisted of an ordinary print blouse, worn
over obvious stays ; a woollen kilt, reaching
to just below her knees ; knickerbockers ; top
boots ; and a pith helmet, which gave its
wearer something of the air of a Britannia
who had exchanged the rest of her garments
with a scarecrow ! We gently suggested
that if the fair explorer had consulted
Redfern, or, better still, Martin of Dublin,
either would have built her something much
more workmanlike and beguiling. After
this Mrs. Bent made herself very pleasant,
showed us photographs which she had taken
with much skill, a talent which was no doubt
of great use to her husband. Mr. Bent
might have been the " Silent Member " him-
self, he spoke so little ; but, the next day,
when we went to his encampment, he showed
us his sketch-books, and was much less mute.
He was fresh from those strange Mashona-
land ruins which have given rise to so much

196 ADVENTURES chap.

conjecture. Mr. Bent supposed them to be
extremely ancient. He told us that, without
consulting the archives at Lisbon, he could
not give a decided opinion on their origin.
At that time he seemed to believe them to
be the ruins of a temple and fortress. There,
he thought, weird rights had been solemnised
and fierce battles fought.

Mr. Selous differed entirely from this
view. He believes the ruins to be com-
paratively modern, and the remains of native
work. There is a tradition that a great
chief is buried under them, and Mashonas
still go and worship there. Mr. Selous is
probably the best authority on the subject,
knowing Africa as thoroughly as he does,
and being able to converse with the native
as easily as with an Englishman, whilst Mr.
Bent could neither speak nor understand the
language. But Mr. Bent appeared certain
that the Portuguese only could throw light
on the problem. He said that the Portu-
guese had certainly been all over the country,
and that a Portuguese archaeologist who

vi IN MASHONALAND 197

would devote himself to the subject would
find the archives, of Lisbon, and very likely
of other old cities, rich in most interesting
materials.

A few days later the Bents rode away to
Masse- Kesse, en route for the coast. We
saw them go, with something of a pang.
They would probably be our last visitors.
When the rainy season set in thoroughly,
Umtali would be like a besieged city, and
its inhabitants cut off from all communica-
tion with the outer world.

CHAPTER VII

Leaving Old for New Umtali — Our Malay boy Jonosso —
" Your Excellency's plate " — Rain — Waiting for the
waggon — An accident — Water-tight huts — Furnishing
the hospital — Sister Lucy as carpenter — The white
prisoner — His thumbs tied — Algernon Caulfield makes
an arm-chair — Illness and departure of Eustace
Fiennes — Sister B. Welby and Dr. Lichfield — Arrival
of our clergyman — His strange attire — His disputes
with the mission workers — He " chucks his orders " —
Advent of a professional baker — Sister Lucy's cake — Its
effect on Col. Pennefather — Wedding cake — The first
marriage in Manica — Keeping Christmas — The police
deputation — The cow — Sports — Magistrate and Civil
Commissioner " on the burst " — All the police arrest
each other — The last man — General amnesty — The
Colonel again — " Order of the Sack " — Good-byes.

In December, 1891, we took possession of
our new hospital. It stood on a gentle
eminence surrounded by trees, commanding
a fine view of the plain on which the future
township was to be built. Rocky hills closed
in the valley. On one of these lived

chap, vii ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND 199

M'Tassa, the Manica king. Behind the
hospital were our huts. At the back of
these the compound sloped upward, losing
itself in a thickly wooded hill. It was a pretty
place ; the rocks, broken ground, and trees,
giving it a very picturesque air.

The journey from Old to New Umtali,
a distance of about six miles, assumed quite
the proportions of an expedition. What we
called "our furniture," such rattle-traps as
would be disdained by an East-end flitter,
was piled up on a bullock waggon. Having
seen that the pots and pans were firmly
bound to the waggon with reims — that is, long
strips of dried cow-hide — we walked off, the
natives setting fire to the huts as we left
them.

We had been so fortunate as to come
across a wandering Malay from the coast.
Malays make the best servants, they are
so spotlessly clean. Our boy's name was
" Jonosso." He was much too important
and dignified a person to have anything to
do with the waggon. "Where," he said to

200 ADVENTURES chap.

me in Portuguese, " Where does your Excel-
lency wish your Excellency's plate to be
packed ? " Our " plate " consisted of six
little tea-spoons which we had brought up
with us, and a few steel forks of the cheapest
description. All were kept in an empty
biscuit-tin, as sacred to Jonosso as the most
splendid plate-chest to an English butler.
He stalked before us bearing it on his head —
a strange figure in a long blue shirt, or
rather night-gown, reaching to the middle
of his calves ; white and scarlet striped
trousers of thin muslin ; a scarlet fez on his
woolly head ; 1 and a perpetual curl of smoke
issuing from his lips.

Following him as quickly as we could, for
the day looked threatening, we reached New
Umtali towards noon. Hardly had we taken
refuge in Mr. Fiennes's hut, when the rain
began. In a few moments the huts appeared
to be standing in a sort of lagoon. The
earth is so dry and hard in Africa, that the

1 The " Malays " in Africa generally have woolly heads, probably
being of mixed race.

vii IN MASHONALAND 201

rain does not sink into it for a long time.
Not till one has lived in these climates, does
one understand the force of the Biblical
expression, "the heavens opened."

Meanwhile, there we sat, watching the
rain, and wishing the waggon would come.
Hour after hour passed. At last a boy was
despatched to see what had happened. He
soon returned, saying the waggon had
broken down. Off rode Mr. Fiennes and
his men, and by their united efforts the
waggon was patched up, and reached its
destination an hour after dark.

Everything had been upset in a "donga"
or deep ditch between two hills. The rains
had filled the " donga" with water. Our tea
had turned into a sort of soup, our meal into
dough. The precious packing-cases, on
which a heavy man could sit without fear
of accident, were smashed, and only fit for
firewood. Our blankets were happily dry.
We had a fire lit in the little kitchen hut ;
spread waterproofs on the floor ; and, rolled
in our rugs, slept soundly till morning. The

A D VENTURES chap.

rain poured all night, but none found its way
through the thatch. The certainty of having
water-tight huts consoled us for the mis-
adventures of our flitting.

The next day was devoted to getting huts
and hospital into something like order.
After a great deal of trouble, and after taking
Mr. Rhodes's name in vain a hundred times
a day, we succeeded in obtaining fairly com-
fortable canvas stretchers for the patients,
instead of the horrible grass and sticks which
had furnished the former hospital hut. This
was something. The musty smell of grass
which has served for some time as a bed, the
impossibility of changing it, the swarms of
fleas which it harbours, make it the very last
thing which ought to be used for sick people.
As soon as the sun has thoroughly dried the
land after the rains, settlers set fire to the
long dry grass. It is dangerous to live in
the midst of it, as a chance spark will set it
on fire, and a whole encampment be swept
away in a few moments. So that except at
one time of the year, there is great difficulty

vii IN MASHONALAND 203

in obtaining grass for thatching and other
purposes.

Had it not been for these canvas
stretchers the hospital would have been
absolutely empty. It was necessary to have
a few tables. Sister Lucy, who had a great
turn for carpentering, set to work to make
some. It was amusing to see her hammer-
ing and sawing, with the air of a professional
carpenter. Our little black boys took a
lively interest in these operations. Like
Dora Copperfield and her pens, they felt
they were helped largely if they held the
nails, or passed the saw.

We soon obtained other assistance,
however, in the shape of a white prisoner.
This man, a Bavarian prospector, shot at
a native and shattered his leg. The boy
had followed his master about, clamouring
for his money. In a moment of irritation, the
latter snatched up his gun, and discharged
it at the boy. Dr. Lichfield rode out
to the German's camp, and amputated the
injured leg, the boy eventually recovering.

204 ADVENTURES

Our prisoner, who paid a fine, and had to
do three months' hard labour, was marched
to the hospital compound every morning.
He wore the usual flannel shirt and
miner's trousers, but large green arrows
were painted all over them. The sun
melted the paint, which ran down him in
every direction, and wherever he stood he
left a little green pool.

There was no door to the gaol, so the
Resident Magistrate, a man of resource, had
the prisoner's thumbs tied behind him at
night. The German, accustomed to a paternal
government, submitted ; but when it came to
tying Englishmen's thumbs, a disturbance
was made, and the practice had to be
dropped.

The German was not Sister Lucy's only
aide-de-camp. Mr. Algernon Caulfield, a
nice long-legged English boy, who had just
abandoned diplomacy at the Hague in favour
of an unsophisticated life in Mashonaland,
offered his services. He could actually turn a
packing-case into an arm-chair in a few hours.

vii IN MAS NONA LAND 205

When covered with turkey twill, the fi-devant
box appeared to have come from Maple's.
It was always pushed into a prominent
position in the hut, and invariably excited
the liveliest admiration and envy.

Mr. Seymour-Fort, whose camp was a
few miles from New Umtali, became a
frequent visitor at the hospital. It was
well for us that these excellent friends
were at hand. The Bishop had left, so
had Mr. Campion ; and now Mr. Fiennes,
to whom we owed so much, whose help
we counted on in all difficulties — and never
in vain — was going also. His health had
broken down ; it was necessary that he should
escape to the colony, if not to England,
before the Beira route became impracticable.
We saw him leave with a regret which may
be imagined.

Meanwhile, an event was approaching, in
which the whole of the little colony took
much interest. Sister B. Welby and Dr.
Lichfield were about to be married.

We offered no opposition to the marriage,

2o6 ADVENTURES

although feeling that the work would fall
somewhat heavily on two. But Sister B.
Welby detested African nursing, and could
not accommodate herself to the makeshift
arrangements, the perpetual cooking and
cleaning. Unable to make herself happy
in the hospital, it was much better she
should leave it, since an opportunity offered.
A person who takes life too seriously in a
pioneer hospital, who can extract no fun
from the odd contrivances one has recourse
to, and the many inevitable difficulties, must
obviously be very unhappy. Only cheery
souls should attempt African nursing. For
these reasons the marriage was fixed for
Christmas Eve. We had then been but
four months in Manica, and our work was
only beginning, so Sister B. Welby escaped
the worst of the hardship and drudgery in
store for us.

The long-expected clergyman had arrived
some weeks before we left Old Umtali. I
must say that the appearance of this gentle-
man, whose name was Sewell, was a great

vii IN MASHONALAND 207

shock to us. He wore a helmet ; a flannel
shirt ; and coarse blue trousers, much too
short, of the type dear to navvies. These
were held in place by a large scarlet hand-
kerchief, which however did its work so
indifferently that Mr. Sewell was always
hitching up his trousers like a comic sailor in
a pantomime. Anything more unclerical than
his manners and get-up cannot be imagined.
His first visit was entirely taken up with
complaints of his position and of the other
mission workers. He said he had no money.
Like Dr. Glanville he possessed but £2 !
He also informed us that the Bishop had
left him no authority, excepting over souls.
A mere boy was in charge of stores and
work. He was not going to stand it ; he
would work his way home before the mast.
We tried to persuade the irate clergyman
that the cure of souls was the only important
part of the Mission. For a long time he
would do nothing but rage against the place,
people, and Bishop. " Am I to depend for
a pound of butter on an office boy ? " he

208 ADVENTURES chap.

cried, over and over again. After talking for
an hour or so, he was at last somewhat
appeased. He consented to write to Dr.
Knight Bruce, and remain quietly at Umtali
until he received an answer. Practically this
meant remaining till the end of the rainy
season, as he could not hear from the Bishop
till it would be too late to attempt leaving the
country. With this we were satisfied. The
delay would give the Bishop time to remedy
the situation. I may state here that, the
following Easter, Mr. Sewell, to use his own
expression, " chucked his orders," and went
into partnership with a Jew tavern-keeper.
Poor Bishop ! he told us the man had been
most highly recommended to him. Surely
people who give unfounded recommenda-
tions have a very false idea of what charity
really means.

Meanwhile the resources of the country
were increasing. Imagine our joy when a
real baker came from Salisbury, and we
realised that the days of amateur bread-
making were past and done with. Of all our

vii IN MASHONALAND 209

difficulties I really think this was the worst.
We took infinite pains, and consulted the
best local authorities, — but what would come
out of that baking pot was always the merest
lottery. I remember once receiving a pre-
sent of currants, upon which Sister Lucy
resolved to make a currant cake. In the
pride of our hearts we boasted of our great
doings, with the result that Colonel Penne-
father and two or three of his officers came
over to tea.

Alas! in some mysterious way, the cake
had turned into a sort of plum pudding!
Sister Lucy was, however, equal to the
occasion ; she fried the pudding, and served
large slices of it to our guests. The Colonel
ate his slice like a man, and a very polite
one. We heard that he was very irritable
for the next twenty-four hours, only recover-
ing when rumours of a lion were brought
into camp. Irritable or not, every one liked
the Colonel. We always looked forward to
his visits, and were very sorry when he left
Mashonaland.

p

210 ADVENTURES chap.

Of course we could eat fried lumps of
dough, even though it was not very whole-
some. Bread for the hospital was the diffi-
culty. Though we often made excellent
loaves, and naturally improved daily, results
were never certain. The first day the
baker's boy left a batch of bread at the
hospital was, therefore, a red-letter day.
We immediately ordered a wedding cake for
Christmas Eve. It could not be iced, but it
would be a real cake.

Early on the morning of the 24th of
December, Sister Lucy and I went forth to
hunt for flowers. Climbing a steep hill about
two miles distant we found a mass of Cape
jasmine, and returned laden with the spoil.
These flowers filled the huts with exquisite
perfume, and lent something of poetry to the
rude surroundings.

The marriage took place at four in the
afternoon, in a hut which we had draped with
blue and white limbo for the occasion. Mr.
Sewell officiated ; the Resident Magistrate
gave the bride away.

vii IN MASHONALAND 211

Dr. Lichfield looked quite smart in a new
Karkee suit, and Mrs. Lichfield extremely
nice in a white serge uniform frock. Most
fortunately, none of her luggage had been
lost on its way from the coast.

After the ceremony the party adjourned
to another hut, and partook of tea in tin
mugs. The cake never appeared. The
baker was keeping Christmas ! Then the
Doctor and his bride walked across to the
township, where he had put up a few
picturesque huts, which Mrs. Lichfield decor-
ated very prettily.

Christmas Day dawned on an already
excited community. I do not think it is
exaggerating to say that by noon every one
in the place, with the exception of three or
four men, was very tipsy indeed.

A deputation of police came to wish us a
" Merry Christmas." They confided to us
that they were great scamps, but would
always stand by us. " If a civilian looksh
atsh you, Sistersh, you justsh sendsh to ush,"
exclaimed these excellent fellows, propping

212 ADVENTURES chap.

themselves up against the hut. We thanked
them, and watched them striding away, in
long curves, to the camp. Presently they
returned. They wished to present us with a
cow, — would we do them the favour of
accepting ? We would — with pleasure. We
had patients in hospital, and had not yet
bought any cows. Milk would be a great
boon. Thereupon they retired, this time
taking a decidedly zig-zag course. No cow,
however, appeared ; and, to our great amuse-
ment, we heard that the " deputation " had
stolen a cow for us. I think the animal had
strayed into the camp. As our friends were
driving it to the hospital, the infuriated
owner swooped down on them, routed the
gallant but unsteady police, and carried off
his cow in triumph. Perhaps the generosity
of our friends was somewhat misplaced, but
they were kindly souls.

Christmas Day was devoted to sports of
various kinds ; but, before the afternoon was
far spent, the good-natured stage of drunken-
ness was replaced by the quarrelsome one.

vii IN MASHONALAND 213

A free fight took place round the too-well-
supplied refreshment waggon. The Civil
Commissioner announced his intention of
tearing the Resident Magistrate, who was
also Officer in Command, from his horse.
This official ordered the Civil Commissioner
to be arrested. Friends of the latter declared
that no one but the Administrator had power
to do so. Nevertheless he was arrested, and
whirled across the plain, to the Police Camp.
Were his thumbs to be tied ? That was the
great question. Meanwhile the Magistrate
suspended the Civil Commissioner from his
functions. He in his turn suspended the
Magistrate. Hubbub and confusion followed.
Before midnight all the police were under
arrest, we were told — the last man having
provoked his punishment by holding a candle
crooked, whilst the Magistrate himself tied
the thumbs of some of his prisoners !

Next day all was forgotten and forgiven.
At a banquet, followed by a smoking concert,
the Civil Commissioner and the Magis-
trate drank each others' healths. Each man

214 ADVENTURES chap.

swore that the other was the best fellow he
had ever met. Till the end of the year, says
my diary, camp and township remained "on
the burst."

No attempt at holding service having
been made, we wrote to Mr. Sewell offering
him the hospital till he could have a church-
hut erected. He came to see us, making a
more favourable impression than at his first
visit, and it was settled that he should hold a
service on New Year's Eve, and regularly
every Sunday. He talked quite earnestly
about his endeavours to do good, and very
likely he was in earnest. He preached well,
having much command of language ; and,
had he chosen, he might have been a great
influence for good in Umtali.

On the 2nd of January, 1892, Colonel
Pennefather rode into the camp. Every one
rejoiced to see him. He told us he pro-
jected spending the rainy season in Manica,
and set to work at once to make his
hut comfortable. Great, therefore, was the
general surprise, when, on the 4th of January,

vii IN MASHONALAND 215

a runner brought him a dispatch informing
him that the Military Police were to be
disbanded, and a Civil Police created.
The Colonel's services would, therefore, no
longer be required. He could rejoin his
regiment when he pleased. In point of
fact the Company was retrenching in all
directions. A Civil Government had been
established. The Military Police were
considered both expensive and unnecessary.

The announcement was too sudden not to
be unpleasant, but the Colonel took the affair
very calmly. " I've received the Order of
the Sack, Sister." That was all he said
about it. We were very sorry indeed to say
good - bye to him. We had hoped that,
besides keeping camp and township in order,
he would prove a pleasant neighbour.
However there was no help for it. Needs
must when a retrenching Administrator
drives.

CHAPTER VIII

The hospital — Patients — Work — Contrivances — Project
of brick hospital — Poultry yard — Capricious hens —
Mashona cows — The bread question — Our baker —
Attempts to bake himself — A breadless community —
Montague Bowden — His last game of cricket — His
illness and death — Scaring off wild beasts — The
funeral — Our dispenser "on the burst" — Opium
poisoning — Dispenser attempts suicide — Imprisoned —
Our protest — Dispenser dismissed — Illness of Sister
Lucy — Flight of natives — A terrible week — Drink —
An extraordinary bill — Departure of magistrate — The
reign of Law in Manica — Birth of first English child
in Mashonaland — Serious illness of Mrs. Tulloch —
Our huts burnt to the ground — Narrow escape of
Mrs. Tulloch — A tipsy fire brigade — Generosity —
Arrival of Dr. Matthew Johnston — Our patient saved
— Christening of Cecil Rhodes Tulloch — He leaves
the hospital in triumph.

The hospital was soon in working order,
and rarely without patients. Indeed from
January to September, it was never empty
for a day. Referring to my diary, I see

chap, viii ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND 217

that from the middle of January till nearly
the end of March, we left the hospital
compound once only. Or in English nurs-
ing parlance, we had one afternoon off
duty.

It was the unbroken continuity of work
which made it trying, rather than its arduous
nature. The native servants were most
uncertain. They came and went at their
own caprice. Sometimes we had a good
staff, sometimes only one boy for every-
thing. In no case was it safe to send
even a cup of milk over to the hospital
by a native. He was pretty sure to give
it to the wrong person.

Some of the cases were slight, chiefly
requiring rest in bed and good food ;
others were brought in from the Veldt
in a serious condition, and demanded con-
stant attention. When these more serious
cases were in hospital, we took it in turns
to remain for twenty -four hours on duty.
Tiring as this was, we found it answered
better than if one of us had remained on

2i8 ADVENTURES chap.

night duty, and the other on day. What
with cooking, nursing, and the general
superintendence of the natives, the work
involved in keeping huts, hospital, and
compound in a state of spotless cleanli-
ness was considerable. One Sister on day
duty would have had to work without pause
from six in the morning till night time.
Hard work soon tells on women and men
in a tropical climate. However we both
had excellent health, were both really fond
of nursing, and did not grudge the hard
work.

Little by little the great barn, dignified
by the name of " hospital " became, con-
sidering the circumstances, a comfortable
retreat. Sister Lucy made some capital
wooden trays out of packing-cases. Our
white linen aprons were useless, for we
had no time to starch and iron. Indeed,
there was no starch to be had. We, there-
fore, converted them into napkins for the
hospital trays. By means of these con-
trivances we were able to serve the

vin IN MASHONALAND 219

patients' food, such as it was, nicely enough.
Every one knows that the manner in which
nourishment is offered to a sick man is
very nearly as important as the food itself.
I think our trays, rude as they were, with
their white napkins and little bunches of
flowers, often tempted a patient to eat,
and so gave him a first impulse towards
recovery.

We were lucky enough to secure a
number of Italian silk rugs from a trader,
who had brought them to Mashonaland,
" on spec " as he said. They served as
quilts, and their bright colours gave the
wards a very cheery air. When we had
covered the mud walls with the pale prim-
rose-coloured native mats, and had obtained
brick floors, and cupboards for blankets,
dressings, and sundries, we felt we could
do little more to the place. It was then
that we turned our attentions to col-
lecting money for the creation of a brick
hospital.

We had bought cows, and started a

22o ADVENTURES

poultry yard. The hospital was, therefore,
plentifully supplied with milk, eggs, and
fowls. The fowls proved very trouble-
some. A Mashona hen is a thoroughly
undisciplined bird. She lays her tiny eggs
in a rush, and then refuses to lay for
weeks. If you keep her shut up, however
large the enclosure, you will not get an
egg. If you let her run free, she lays
in the most inconvenient places — preferably
in one's bed. Therefore, as soon as one
or two neighbours started poultry farms,
we gave up our fowls.

It was some time, too, before we could
manage our cows. The breed in Mashona-
land is small and very pretty, not unlike the
Kerry cow. But what a difference in dis-
position ! The Mashona cow refuses to give
any milk, unless she is first allowed to feed
her calf for a few moments. The calf is then
dragged away and held under the cow's nose,
whilst a native milks hurriedly. For a short
time the cow appears unaware of what is
going on. Then suddenly the milk ceases.

viii IN MASHON ALAND 221

The calf is again had recourse to, and is
again torn away. So it goes on till a certain
amount of milk is obtained. Milking is thus
a long process, involving great noise, low-
ings, and shoutings. Sometimes cow and
calf burst their bonds and escape, with a
crowd of yelling natives after them. A very
good cow gives twelve pints of milk a day.
Such a milker is indeed a treasure. From
six to eight pints is the usual quantity ob-
tained. We left the hospital in possession
of a herd of ten beautiful cows. It gave one
a delightful homelike feeling to see them
driven up from the pastures in the evening.
One or two of them were great favourites,
and would trot up to have their heads
scratched, and get. a crust of bread.

Though Umtali owned a baker, and there
were moments when he sold very good little
cakes, yet we were never quite sure whether
he was going to send any bread or not. For
a long time it came at all sorts of hours and
in all sorts of conditions. Having asked one
day why there were so many pebbles in the

222 ADVENTURES chap.

loaves, I was told that it was owing to the
baker's method of kneading his dough.
Being generally " on the burst," he had great
difficulty in mixing his flour. When it was
ready for kneading, he would think he saw
masses of dough all round him. Then, after
making rushes in every direction, and failing
to grasp anything solid, he would pull him-
self together, and dash at his table, falling
presently with a clash into the dough, and
rolling with it on the floor. One day, the
story goes, he tried to bake himself in his
own oven. His natives pulled him out, and
put him to bed. They did not see that the
dough was in bed before him, so the next
day Manica was breadless. Such tales are
very likely to have been exaggerated. I tell
them as they were told to me. They are
certainly strictly in character and true to
local colour.

To return to the hospital. Our day was
mapped out as follows. At six o'clock one
of us called the natives, had fires lit and tea
made, served round the early tea to the

viii IN MASHONALAND 223

patients, and saw the hospital boy start sweep-
ing. For a long time we had no brooms,
but used branches of a sort of aromatic
shrub, which left a pleasant fresh smell.
Then the beds were made, blankets put out
in the sun, bed tables scrubbed, tempera-
tures taken, medicines given, and the patients
washed. Meanwhile, whichever of us was
not taking the hospital work that morning
went to the kitchen, saw it thoroughly
cleaned, and had all the water-buckets filled
for the day. Then the patients' trays were
put ready, and their breakfasts prepared.
These were sent over to the hospital at about
a quarter to eight. First the full diets,
generally consisting of porridge, coffee, or
tea, toast, eggs or rissoles, which we manu-
factured fairly successfully. Then the light
diets were sent over. Cases on liquid diet
were fed in small quantities, and often, night
and day of course. After the hospital break-
fast was served, ours was cooked. Then we
saw to the washing up of all the things, the
sweeping of our huts and the compound,

224 ADVENTURES chap.

sent for the meat, and prepared for dinner.
Between ten and eleven the doctor went
round, and, after his visit, there were often,
of course, fresh medicines, lotions, and so on,
to be attended to. At eleven the patients
had luncheon — beef-tea or milk — and there
were generally a good many odds and ends
to do, as nursing does not consist only in
running round and serving medicines or food.
Then came temperatures and medicines again.
At half-past twelve there was dinner, followed
by our luncheon. Then the patients had a
small wash, and generally went to sleep.
The natives were very slow about washing
up, so we took it in turns to watch them
clean and put everything tidily away. Un-
less there were bad cases in hospital
there was generally a respite till half-past
three, when the blankets were taken in out
of the sun, and put away. Then came
medicine and temperatures again, and tea,
and, after that, the doctor went round. When
our tea was finished, the patients' beds were
re-made. Supper followed. We had ours as

vin IN MASHONALAND 225

soon after as possible. When this repast was
finished, one of us saw to everything being
washed and put away ; while the other went
over to the hospital, took temperatures, gave
medicines, supplied drinks for the night, and
made every one as comfortable as possible.
If the cases were not severe, and did not
require attention at night, we did not sit up.
A native slept within, in the small middle
room between the two wards, in case of an
emergency. This was the routine, which
lasted without a break from January, 1892, to
September, 1892. It was somewhat varied
by bad cases, which could not be left night
or day ; and by the disappearance of natives,
which obliged one to do the cleaning instead
of seeing that it was done ; but on the whole
it was continuous.

In September, 1892, we obtained a cook,
which lightened the work much, and gave us
some leisure. By this time, too, contact
with white men had much improved the boys,
and they became more like those to be met
with in Kimberley and Johannesburg. If
Q

226 ADVENTURES

they were taught their work they would
begin it, and go on with it without continual
following up. Every month of the last six
months we spent at Umtali made the condi-
tions of life easier, and we were able to leave
the incoming nurses in comparatively com-
fortable surroundings.

The first case we lost in New Umtali was
Mr. Montague Bowden, the well - known
cricketer. He was singularly handsome,
popular, and with every chance of success in
trading and prospecting enterprises.

In February 1892 Mr. Bowden, while
travelling from Salisbury to Umtali, was
thrown from his cart, but was apparently
uninjured. The day after his arrival he
played in a cricket match, and it was observed
that he was in bad form. The next day but
one he had an epileptic seizure, and was
conveyed to the hospital. His temperature
rose to 107, and he passed away very peace-
fully on the fourth day after his admittance.
On account of the heat it was necessary to
keep the doors and windows of the room,

vin IN MASHONALAND 227

where he lay, wide open, and a man with a
loaded revolver sat there all night to protect
the corpse from wild beasts.

Next day he was buried, the whole com-
munity attending his funeral. With great
difficulty, owing to the scarcity of wood,
a coffin had been made out of whisky cases.
It was covered with dark blue limbo. A
card, bearing his name and age, was nailed to
the lid. Beneath it we placed a large cross
of flowers. The remains were carried across
the compound to a bullock -cart, and the
melancholy procession started. We lingered
to watch it wind across the plain, until it dis-
appeared from view, and then with sad steps
returned to the wards.

Almost immediately after Mr. Bowden's
death a great disturbance was caused by the
behaviour of our dispenser. He had been
"on the burst" more or less ever since
Christmas, and took to giving out medicines
without measuring them. One of the patients
was taking powders which contained a certain
amount of opium, and, after swallowing two

238 ADVENTURES chap.

or three of these powders, he began to show
symptoms which seemed to point to opium
poisoning. Suspecting what had happened,
we had the powders re-weighed, and found
he was taking nearly four times the quantity
of opium prescribed in each dose. The
doctor was hurriedly sent for. He said
there was no doubt about the patient's
symptoms, and ordered the usual antidotes
to be employed. The Magistrate then
appeared on the scene.

Hearing what he had done, the dispenser
seized a bottle of laudanum, and fled towards
the river. After him went the Magistrate
and his myrmidons, recruiting several
amateur police on the way. The dispenser
had a considerable start, however, the grass
was already long, the chase promised to be
exciting. Would he have swallowed the
poison before they could reach him ? Use-
less fears ! The fugitive had carried off not
only a phial of laudanum, but a bottle of
whisky. When he was caught the phial was
full, the bottle empty ! He was marched to

vni IN MASHONALAND 229

the camp, and lodged in gaol ; native police-
men with levelled rifles watched him night
and day. Finally, he was released, and
requested " not to try it on again."

Of course he ceased to be the hospital
dispenser. I say " of course," but probably,
if we had not made a stand, he would have
been reinstated in his dispensary. Hearing
that there was some question of it, we sent
the Magistrate a formal declaration to the
effect that we must refuse to administer
medicines prepared by this man. The
matter was referred to the Administrator,
and a great inquiry followed. About a
hundred and fifty sheets of foolscap, covered
with affirmations and declarations, came and
went between Fort Salisbury and Umtali,
and in the end the dispenser was dis-
missed.

A month or two later Dr. Lichfield left.
He is now district surgeon at Victoria. Dr.
Matthew Johnston from St. Bartholomew's
took his place.

Before this change was effected, however,

230 ADVENTURES chap.

I nearly lost Sister Lucy. She fell ill in
March ; that same day all our natives fled. I
had one little boy, eight years of age, to do
everything. There were only six cases in
hospital, but four were desperately bad, and
two were convalescents, just beginning to be
ravenous.

From five in the morning till ten at night
I was unceasingly at work, going from Sister
Lucy to the hospital, thence to the kitchen.
There was no idea of going to bed. Sister
Lucy was much too ill for that. I had a
white man sitting up in the hospital, but it
was necessary to go across continually. The
police volunteered their help when Sister
Lucy got worse, and kindly undertook the
kitchen work, which was an immense help.

I cannot describe the anxiety of that week,
it was like an evil dream to look back upon.
I lost one patient, a fever case, with bad
complications.

Sister Lucy never had a very high tem-
perature ; her fever took the form of constant
vomiting and tendency to collapse. She

vin IN MASHONALAND 231

used to say that the worst part of it all was
when she was a little better. She could not
reconcile herself to being in bed, whilst she
heard the sound of my steps, backwards and
forwards, all day long. The heat, too, was
burning — the sun actually seemed to sting as
it touched one. It is these first hot days,
when the rains are nearly over, that bring
the worst phases of fever. However, Sister
Lucy happily recovered, and was soon able
to take her share of the work.

About this time we lost another patient.
He was brought in unconscious after a
tremendous " burst." He died after a suc-
cession of the most terrible epileptiform
attacks I have ever seen. When his affairs
were examined, it was found that out of a
bill to the amount of ^50, ^39 were due
for whisky !

The Resident Magistrate, one of the
kindest and best fellows in the world, now
left Umtali. He was replaced by another
man, the third who had governed Manica
in our short experience.

232 ADVENTURES chap.

The new Magistrate was a business-like
person. At first we were afraid that he
too was tarred with the usual Umtali brush,
as his hand shook so much that he could not
hold a tea-cup steadily.

We were mistaken. With his advent
began the reign of law and order. Regular
hours for the opening and shutting of bars
were established. Between its periodical
" bursts," the township enjoyed long intervals
of sobriety. Perhaps for a week at a time
not a case of drunkenness would occur, and
in proportion to the decrease of drink, so
did the fever diminish, without, however,
entirely dying out.

Civilisation now began to make progress
in Mashonaland, the stores were well sup-
plied, creature comforts were plentiful. The
projected railway from Beira to Umtali was
much talked of. We were assured that
when we left Umtali in 1893, we should
depart in the train, and to a certain extent
this prediction was verified.

Meanwhile an interesting event occurred.

vin IN MASHONALAND 233

The first English baby was born in Mashona-
land. Mrs. Tulloch, the plucky wife of a
prospector, had had herself, as has been
already mentioned, and two children carried
up in machilas from the coast. She arrived
whilst we were still in Old Umtali, and had
but lately come over to the new township.

We offered her the use of one of our huts
for the confinement, but she preferred remain-
ing at home, and Dr. and Mrs. Lichfield
undertook to look after her. The very day
the child was born, Mr. Tulloch was carried
into hospital in a semi-delirious state. We
had several patients in hospital at the time,
but, had we imagined that the poor mother
would have been left alone all night, one
of us would certainly have gone to her.
As it was, she spent the whole of that night
alone with her children, and a native boy,
who fled before morning. A native woman
from the coast, obtained with much difficulty,
was also there, but stupid with drink. The
hut had no door, and was at some distance
from neighbours.

234 ADVENTURES chap.

Bad symptoms set in during the night.
In the morning when the doctor called, he
found, to his horror, that a number of wild
natives had entered the hut, and were sitting
round the patient's bed clamouring for her
to trade. He very quickly got rid of them,
but Mrs. Tulloch was in a high fever. It
was urgent to remove her to the hospital, so
we hurriedly prepared a hut for her recep-
tion, and sent the ambulance to fetch her.
She was in a critical condition, and we had
little hope of saving her.

One wild, windy evening, as we were
attending to her, a gust of wind tore out the
limbo that was nailed over the window, and
sent it fluttering into the candle. In less
time than it takes to describe, the whole hut
was in a blaze. A straw from the roof had
caught fire, and long ladders of flame ran up
the thatch. We tried to tear it down, to
throw up water — in vain. Sister Lucy ran
to the dispenser's hut, where Mr. Tulloch
happened to be dining. I remained with his
wife.

vin IN MASHONALAND , 235

Meanwhile burning thatch began to fall
into the hut. Plucky as she was, I feared
Mrs. Tulloch would lose her presence of
mind, and jump out of bed. Wrapping a
blanket round her, I carried her to the door,
and soon had the satisfaction of seeing her
husband carry her over to the hospital, where
there was an empty ward.

All our huts caught fire, and the flames
lit up the whole valley. Magistrate and
police rushed over from the camp, tore down
the blazing thatch, and saved what things
they could from the general destruction.
The whole of Umtali, in fact, precipitated
itself from the township to the hospital.

The men were eager to help, but were
hardly in a condition to be of much use. In
a burst of zeal one man rushed to the river,
a third of a mile away, and fetched a bucket
of water. Just as he reached the hospital, he
tumbled head over heels, giving himself a
thorough drenching. Then, cooled and
sobered, he retired to bed, and was heard of
no more. One of the guardians of law and

236 ADVENTURES chap.

order dropped a bottle of whisky as he
lurched across the compound. On this the
doctor pounced, declaring it forfeited to the
hospital. Other men piled the thatch back on
the fire, and nearly burnt down the hospital.
One man, at the peril of his life, rushed into
the burning hut, shouting, " Down, flames ; I
command you to go out." He was promptly
dragged out, and marched off to prison, where,
I heard, he complained bitterly of the green
spiders and other abnormal reptiles.

With great difficulty the kitchen was
saved. We had the sweetest little black-
faced monkey. It went quite mad with
fright, and bit me badly as I carried it out of
the kitchen, and we had to keep it in the dark
for a whole day, before its nerves recovered
from the shock. At last we got the com-
pound clear, and arranged ourselves as best
we could in the hospital. I must not forget
to say, that when the men got back to the
township, they sent us over everything they
could think of that might be of any use.
People may be very foolish and tipsy in a

vin IN MASHONALAND 237

pioneer camp, but they are also very generous
and warm-hearted — qualities which cover a
multitude of sins.

For a few days after this excitement, Mrs.
Tulloch appeared to improve, but then she
became worse than ever. For eleven days
and nights, Sister Lucy and I never rested
for more than an hour or so at a time. One
had the baby, the other took the mother.
Very naturally, the baby, after the first few
days, was a perfect little demon of fretfulness.
In the midst of our anxiety, Dr. Johnston,
from Salisbury, came to replace Dr. Lichfield.
He never expected to pull our patient
through, but eventually succeeded in doing so.

Seven weeks after his birth, " Cecil
Rhodes Tulloch " was christened in one of
our newly built huts by Canon Balfour, who
at this time came for a few days to Umtali.
After the ceremony Mrs. Tulloch was borne
away in a machila ; a small boy carrying the
newly made Christian. A baby's bottle had
been improvised out of a pickle bottle, and a
glass tube run through a cork. This the

238 ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND ch. viii

natives concluded to be something very
precious. One boy headed the march, hold-
ing it aloft. Thus, borne away in triumphant
procession, the baby which had tyrannised
over us for so long vanished out of our lives
for ever.

CHAPTER IX

A free day — A visit to Chiconga — Climbing a kopje — The
kraal — Gungunyama's raids — The council hut — The
chieftainess and her " warriors " — Her answer to the
Bishop — We trade — Fashion amongst natives — A blind
Lovelace — Instance of ferocity — Kissing — Intelligent
children — Absence of religious notions — Differences
of language — Ancient gold workings — Worship of
Isis — Mosaic Law — Small-pox — Inoculation — Native
vanity — Inferior iron-work — Carved snuff-boxes — Fire-
sticks — Principal food — Produce — Curious calabashes
— Disgusting reports — Chiconga's return visit — A
chief's assegai — A demand for fire-water — A Woman's
Rights argument — The royal baby — An endless visit —
Jonosso to the rescue — The Queen retires.

Taking advantage of one of the rare occa-
sions when we had a free day, we paid a
visit to Chiconga, M'Tassa's favourite daugh-
ter. The chieftainess inhabited a kraal five
miles distant from New Umtali. It was said
to be a very picturesque spot, and well worth
a visit. Accompanied by Mr. Walter Sutton,

240 ADVENTURES chap.

and attended by two native boys, we there-
fore set out one morning soon after six
o'clock. We were on foot ; the boys carry-
ing beads and limbo, as we wished to trade
for a cow.

Our path led us for some distance along
the high road to Fort Salisbury, a picturesque
track, winding between thickly-wooded hills.
Here and there it struck over the open veldt,
skirting the strange granite kopjes, which
form an important feature in Mashonaland
landscape. These piles of colossal boulders,
springing abruptly from a tableland of veldt,
look as if they had been built up by giants.
Trees clothe the summit of these kopjes, and
wild beasts lurk in the caves formed by their
overhanging rocks.

On the topmost pinnacle of the largest of
them, Chiconga and her people had built
their village. From this eminence the ap-
proach of an enemy could be distinguished
whilst he was yet miles away. Nor was the
precaution a vain one. The Mashonas are
a nation of rabbits scared by a gesture,

ix IN MASHONALAND 241

peaceful and indolent. But Gungunyama,
the great Gazaland chief, has, more than
once, sent his warriors to raid in Manica.
We were told that it had often happened
that three or four of his men entered a kraal,
massacred a hundred Mashonas, and carried
off women and cattle, without encounter-
ing an attempt at resistance. Hence the
Mashonas build their villages in the most
inaccessible places.

We found Chiconga's kraal very difficult
to reach. The path was so steep as to be
almost perpendicular. Only one person
could advance at a time, and without the
aid of our surefooted boys we should never
have reached the summit. Hot and breath-
less, we were glad to rest on a grassy plateau
outside the high stockade which enclosed
the kraal.

Here a number of natives were lying under
the shadow of a tree. Some were binding
together the split reeds of which native mats
are made. Others were playing a game
that seemed nearly related to draughts. The

242 ADVENTURES

men were made of bits of wood ; the board
had been roughly mapped out on the rock
with the "chipanga," or knife, which all
natives carry. One and all professed great
surprise at our appearance, though of course
we knew they had seen our approach more
than an hour before, and had probably
watched with amusement our struggles up
the steep sides ot the kopje. When we
asked for admittance to the kraal one of the
natives pushed aside a heavy door swinging
between two rocks, and invited us to enter.
The door was made of wood, black with
age, and was evidently half of the trunk of an
enormous tree, of a species no longer exist-
ing in the country. In order to follow our
guide we had to bend nearly double, the
entrance was so low ; and in this undignified
position we made our entry to the village.

This consisted of a group of wretched
huts, badly built and thatched. In the
midst of these were several circular earth-
works— not unlike colossal acorn-cups. These
were thatched more carefully. We were told

ix IN MASHONALAND 243

that they were the granaries of the com-
munity. The plateau on which the huts
were built was kept fairly clean. Pigeons
fluttered among the dwellings. Imp -like
children darted in and out of the rocks.

The view from this spot was splendid.
Unrolled at our feet, like a huge map, the
plain stretched away for leagues, mingling
at length with the distant hills that fringed
the horizon. We should have liked to
admire it for many moments, but the head-
man, or induna, now appeared, and requested
us to go to the "council hut." So, creeping
through a low door, we seated ourselves on
clean mats which had been spread out for us.
Our natives squatted outside.

After we had waited for some time, a
loud clapping of hands was heard, and
Chiconga made her appearance, followed
by fifty or sixty men. She entered the
hut, and squatted on a mat opposite to us.
As soon as she was seated, she began to
sway backwards and forwards, and clap
her hands. This is a greeting expressive

244 ADVENTURES

of welcome and respect. We wondered
whether we too ought to clap, and I put
the question in Portuguese to our boy. He
answered, " No," and entered the hut, and
after clapping and bobbing for a long time,
stood up and made a speech. He in-
formed Chiconga that we were great chief-
tainesses and witch - women. The white
man came to us sick, and we healed him.
The country belonged to us ; the white men
were our servants. We spoke, and they
made thunder and lightning ! Whenever he
paused, the " warriors," who crouched behind
Chiconga — and who, by the way, could not
have said Boh ! to a goose — clapped loudly.

Chiconga then declared that we were
welcome. She was small, slight, very ugly,
and not unlike an ill-nourished monkey. A
piece of very dirty blue limbo was wound round
her. We thought her very much less queen-
like than the Maquaniqua who had come to
see us at Sabi Ophir. But she was a gentle
savage, not without mother-wit. The Bishop
relates in his Journal, that, having paid her

ix IN MASHONALAND 245

a visit, he asked if she would like to learn
his religion. After a moment's silence, she
answered : "If you do not proceed on your
way, it will be dark before you reach the
next village." Truly a woman, savage or
civilized, is rarely at a loss for an answer !

Our boys now unpacked the trading stuff,
and, first offering the chieftainess a present
of a gaily-striped blanket, we proceeded to
trade for a cow, fowls, mealies, and other
things we wanted. Each family had some-
thing to sell, pumpkins, white beans, or
eggs.

They were very particular about the
colour and size of the beads they accepted.
Fashion is as autocratic in a native kraal
as in the big village by the Thames. Blue
and white beads had been the rage six
months before ; now no one could possibly
wear anything but red ones. They were
very particular too about the limbo they
liked. Far from delighting in gaudy and
grotesque patterns, they only approved of
plain colours — dark blue or crimson. They

246 ADVENTURES

preferred white to anything. Chiconga took
£2 and four blankets for a very pretty cow.
She presented us with a pair of pigeons
in return for the blanket we had offered
on arriving.

It amused us to see the respect with
which her followers treated her. When-
ever she spoke, they clapped. Once she
went to the door, and spat outside ; they
all clapped solemnly ! Meanwhile no other
woman dared approach the " council hut."

They seemed a simple, harmless people ;
yet bursts of ferocity were not uncommon
among them.

A blind man, who used to wander about
Manica, playing on a native piano, from
which he extracted sounds not unlike those
produced by a Jew's harp, was an example
of this. He was an unusually good-looking
man, in spite of his sightless eyes, and had
married some relation of the chief M'Tassa.
He had several wives, but the savour of
forbidden fruit is relished in Manica as well
as in Paris, and in an evil hour for him it

ix IN MASHONALAND 247

was discovered that he had been paying court
to a neighbour's wife. Consulting together,
his "lawful wives" seized him one night;
tied him to a tree ; and, whilst one held a
torch, another tore his eyes out with a
cow horn. The next day they drove
him from the kraal, and since then he had
wandered from place to place — a homeless
man.

Since our return home, many people
have asked us whether kissing is a natural
expression of affection, or a product of
civilisation. Decidedly the latter ; and I
have never seen any native show signs of
strong affection for either mothers or
children. The latter are very quick and
intelligent, capable of learning almost any-
thing that it may occur to one to
teach. But, as they grow up, they seem to
become dull. The savage's intelligence,
unlike that of a white man, ceases to develope
at a very early age. In working with
natives it is necessary to be very careful
never to alter the routine they have been

248 ADVENTURES chap.

taught. If a boy has been accustomed to
wash cups before plates, and you reverse
the order, he will spend the day in a state
of bewilderment. We took a great deal of
trouble to find out what notions of religion
the Mashonas possessed. It was, however,
impossible to discover that they believed in
anything. Asked if they believed in a life
after death, they usually shrieked with
laughter at such an idea. "An ox dies,
you buy another. A man dies, you cannot
replace him. That is the only difference."
We could never get a more satisfactory
answer, and Mr. Selous told us that he had
had the same experience. We heard, how-
ever, that at one or two kraals the natives
were beginning to believe that their chiefs
had spirits, which, after death, animated
lions or serpents, and often haunted the
village.

Unlike the Matabele or the Zulu, the
Mashonas did not appear to form one tribe.
The different groups of kraals seemed to
have little to do with each other. Indeed

ix IN MASHONALAND 249

two natives, living but a few miles from each
other, often spoke quite a different dialect.
For instance, one would call a door "lima,"
— another " rufa." Some made continual
clicking sounds, from others you never heard
a click at all. Though nominally king of
Manica, M'Tassa had little authority outside
his own kraal, and even within its limits it
was often disputed.

Some authorities are of opinion that the
Mashonas were the descendants of Egyptian
slaves, brought to Manica in gangs to work
the gold. The whole country is riddled
with old workings. Some of the mountains
are honey-combed with drives and tunnels.
The fact that the natives dance to the new
moon, without appearing to know why, is
said to be a trace of the worship of I sis.
That a childless widow marries her brother-
in-law, and that any children she may have
rank as those of her dead husband, is con-
sidered to be a trace of the law of Moses.

One and all inoculate for small-pox, making
three punctures above the elbow. Questioned

250 ADVENTURES

as to the origin of this practice, they told us
that, " more moons ago than there were men
on earth," a "great chief" had taught them
to do it. These native kraals are said to be
the original homes of small-pox, and are
rarely free from it. As a rule the disease
takes a mild form, but when we were in
Manica, many hundreds were said to have
died from it. Certainly inoculation had
failed to check the spread of the malady.
Yet the various doctors, who examined the
boys' arms, appeared to think the operation
had been well, and even very neatly, per-
formed.

In general the Mashona is undersized
and thin. Many of them, however, though
small, were beautifully made. They were
all muscle, hard as steel, with small bones
and skins of exceeding fineness and beauty.
Many a lady might envy the smallness of
their hands, the slenderness of their wrists
and ankles. Now and then one came across
a native so purely Egyptian in type, so
melancholy and impassive, that he might

ix IN MASHONALAND 251

have been a Pharaoh working out his Karma
— a slave among slaves.

Natives spend an immense time adorn-
ing themselves. Many of them plait their
wool into hundreds of little tails, which stick
up all over their heads. Beads, buttons, and
bits of brass wire are often woven into these
tails. Some weave their hair into a sort of
bird's nest ; others into a castellated structure,
which must take years to perfect. They
adorn themselves with bead necklaces and
tiger-cat skins. They are not keen hunters,
being too timid to chase either lions or
leopards.

Their pottery consists only of large round
earthenware pots, coarsely made, which
serve to keep water cold on the hottest day.
The natives also cook in them. Their iron
work for assegai blades or arrow-heads is
very poor indeed. The arrow-heads in
especial are remarkably rude, and far inferior
to those made in other parts of Africa. But
they carve beautiful little snuff-boxes, and
curious wooden head -rests to sleep upon.

252 AD VENTURES

The brass work too on some of their knives
was very well done. They still use the fire-
sticks for producing fire, though such kraals
as are in touch with the white men have
learnt to appreciate Bryant and May. They
live principally on " Kaffir corn," as it is
called. This grain grows on stalks, not
unlike mealie-stalks, which reach the height
of ten or eleven feet. It is dark, like linseed,
when cooked, and has a heavy, sweetish taste.
We used it with great success for poultices.

The natives also grow rice, tobacco, sweet
potatoes, sugar-cane in small quantities, and
pumpkins. Out of gourds they make curious
drinking vessels. Whilst the gourd is still
growing they tie thongs of bark tightly round
it in different places, thus forcing the fruit to
grow in strange, quaint shapes. The most
usual arrangement is that of a long straight
handle, with a cup-like bowl at one end.
When the fruit is ripe the natives carefully
scoop out the interior, and dry the rind in
the sun. These "calabashes" are very
useful. The native stands on a rock, or on

ix IN MASHONALAND 253

a bank, and by means of his long-handled
" calabash " scoops up the river water without
wetting himself. Except when engaged in
swimming and diving, the Mashona has a
horror of getting wet. His dread of rain is
strange, considering that he has no clothes
to spoil.

Though these natives live chiefly on
vegetable diet, they are very fond of meat.
If a cow dies anywhere on the veldt, they
troop to it, disputing its carcase with the
vultures. A number of natives will encamp
round the spoil, and not move till the last
bone has been picked clean. Decomposition
has no terror for them. They enjoy a smell
which sickens the very jackals.

With all their faults, we could not help
getting fond of our boys ; they were invari-
ably cheerful, and they moved so noiselessly.
We always found the raw native to be strictly
honest.

The day after we had visited Chiconga's
kraal, she sent us a messenger bearing an
assegai entirely made of iron. These

spears being only used by chiefs, it is con-
sidered an honour to receive one. Chiconga
was not for behind her messenger. She
arrived with an escort of sixty or seventy
people — old and young men, and boys of all
ages, One of these last carried her baby.

Being made welcome, and requested to
enter our hut, the w Queen** seated herself
on a box, while her husbands sat on the
ground beside her. We ottered her a
present of limbo and beads, then, sending for
coffee, handed her a cup. This she did not
like the look of. Therefore, in spite of his
reluctance, one of her husbands had to taste
it first He disapproved emphatically, spit-
ting it out behind the box on which his wife
was seated. Chiconga then declined the
coffee, suggesting that she understood, and
liked, whisky better. We told her that " fire-

v r was the drink of men, not of women,
but we could not make her see the force of
the argument If white men liked it and
drank it, why should not white women do
so ? What was good for men. was good for

ix IN MASHONALAND 255

women too, at least for chieftainesses ! This
Woman's Rights argument finding voice in a
country where women are mere beasts of
burden, amused us greatly. We compro-
mised the question. We had received a
present of port wine, and now offered her
some. This beverage met with her ap-
proval But, finding her prepared to drink
mugsfull of it there and then, we were forced
to violate the laws of hospitality, and have
the bottle carried away.

A tin of lump sugar had been sent to us a
few days before. This sugar delighted
Chiconga, who ate quantities of it, and
begged for some to take away — a request
which we of course acceded to. Every now
and then the baby, which had remained
outside with all the other followers, set up a
shrill cry — then its mother would run out and
feed it. Remembering that in lying-in-
hospitals there is a stringent rule that babies
must be fed regularly, at stated intervals, I
was interested to note that the savage infant
is allowed to suck as often as it likes, and

256 ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND chap, ix

thrives exceedingly on these irregular
repasts. A white baby, fenced in by rules
and regulations, smothered in a bundle of
senseless clothes, is an unhappy little atom
compared to his black brother.

Before long we began to wonder when
Chiconga meant to go. There seemed no
near prospect of getting rid of her. At
length a happy thought occurred to us. We
had got a small block of incense, such as the
Malays use during their ceremonies. We
told Jonosso to light some, and fumigate the
hut. When he had done so, he gravely
informed Chiconga that farewells ought to
follow incense burning. Upon which she
arose, offered us her hand a rAnglaise, and
departed with all her train.

CHAPTER X

A tale of horror — " Smelling out witches " — Maronka — His
prisoner — An expedition to rescue him — The encamp-
ment— Lions — Native carried off — Half devoured —
Horses attacked — Night of terror — A plucky terrier —
The dead lioness — Maronka submits — Mr. Carden —
Home again — Another lion story — Vogler — Besieged
by lions — A terrible situation — No water — Rescued —
Too late — Vogler's death — More lions — Siege of
Umtali — Warlike funeral — Night alarm — A reign of
terror — Township attacked — Tracked to his lair —
The dead monarch — Lying in state — At peace once
more.

Two or three people — amongst them Mr.
Bent — having spent three months in Ma-
shonaland, assert that lions do not exist
there. Such is not our experience, as the
following pages will show.

One morning a native entered the camp,
bringing a tale of horror to the Magistrate's ear.
A chief called Maronka, whose kraal was about

258 ADVENTURES chap.

forty miles distant, had seized his family and
boiled them alive. He and his brother had
escaped, but the latter had been recaptured,
and he himself pursued as he fled to Umtali
to ask the protection of the White Chief.

Maronka and his people had emerged
from the state of belief in nothing, and were
passing through the barbarous superstitious
stage. They believed that, after death, the
souls of their chiefs passed into the bodies of
lions, though still holding that the generality
of the tribe were soulless. They had power-
ful witch-doctors, and ''smelt-out" witches,
much in the manner described in Rider
Haggard's novels.

The family of the native who had escaped
to our camp had been " smelt out," and, if
his brother were not rescued, he would be
condemned to some horrible death.

The Magistrate immediately sent out
police to demand the release of the prisoner.
Receiving no satisfactory answer, he set out
with his men to force the chief to yield.

The first night's camp was undisturbed ;

x IN MASHONALAND 259

and, next day, the white men reached the
foot of the kopje on the top of which
Maronka's kraal was perched. The night
was moonless, the darkness intense. Having
collected a quantity of wood, two circles of fires
were lit. In the outer circle were the natives
and some of the white men ; in the inner
circle the rest of the police and the horses.

Towards one o'clock in the morning the
Magistrate went round to see that the fires
were being kept up, and the watchmen at
their posts. Before turning in he paused to
replenish a fire in the outer circle, near which
he himself was sleeping. The flames leapt
up, shedding a ruddy glare which empha-
sised the surrounding darkness. One or two
natives were sleeping by the fire. As the
Magistrate turned away, a monstrous dark
shape bounded over the flames, seized a
native, and vanished with him as noiselessly
as it had appeared.

The alarm was given, and in an instant
the encampment was on foot. The native
who had been carried away did not lose con-

26o ADVENTURES chap.

sciousness or presence of mind. " This
way," he kept shouting. " Mai we ! oh,
maiwe ! " — the native cry of anguish or of
terror. " The lion, the lion ! he is eating
my shoulder. Oh, my head ! This way —
this way ! Quickly, white man ! "

Several shots were fired in the direction
of the cries ; and then, seizing flaming logs, a
number of men rushed out into the darkness
and long grass, firing as they went. Sud-
denly the light of the torch revealed a
horrible sight. A large lioness was lying on
the unfortunate native, crunching up his
shoulder. Again they fired, and, with a
sullen roar, the great beast sprang into the
grass and disappeared. Hurriedly they bore
her victim back to the fires. Three minutes
had scarcely elapsed since the lioness had
leaped the fire in search of prey, but the
poor native was in a pitiable condition.
The whole of one shoulder and arm was a
mass of shapeless, bloody pulp, and his scalp
was torn from his head. He lived till
morning, not appearing to suffer greatly,

x IN MASHONALAND 261

but, as the first rays of sunlight fell on his
face, he uttered a cry and expired.

Meanwhile a shout from the natives, who
had swarmed up trees, drew attention to the
horses. A lion bounded in amongst them,
undeterred by noise or fires. The horses
broke loose, and stampeded. Growls, snarls,
a cry in the darkness, the sound of galloping
horses, the ravings of the dying native, filled
the remaining hours of the night with terror.
It was indeed a relief to all when the sudden
tropical day dawned at last. Action was
now possible. Anything was better than
sitting there in the darkness, waiting for
what might happen.

The first thing to do was to track and slay
the lioness, and recover the horses — or such
among them as were still alive. A plucky
terrier called " Syndicate," who afterwards
became our dog, set the party on the track of
the lioness, actually putting her up like a
partridge. He would have fallen a victim to
his temerity, had not a timely shot disposed
of the great cat. She had been severely

262 ADVENTURES chap.

wounded the night before, which accounted
for her remaining so close to the encamp-
ment. When the carcase was opened, it was
found that she must have been many days
without food. Much to their surprise and
satisfaction, the police recovered all the
horses. One or two were badly mauled,
nearly all were scratched, but none of them
died. It was conjectured that the other lions
were large cubs. Had they been full grown,
the horses would not have got off so easily.

A messenger was now sent up to Maronka,
informing him that if the prisoner were not
delivered up within a certain time, the white
men would seize his kraal and drive him
out. After a very short palaver, Maronka
yielded, sending back the prisoner, also a
present of goats and fowls, to propitiate the
wrath of the whites.

The chief and his people believed that the
lions which had attacked the encampment
were animated by the souls of former chiefs
seeking to defend the kraal. Since the whites
had overcome the great Spirits, the resistance

x IN MASHONALAND 263

of mere mortals would be absurd. Maronka
never gave any further trouble. One of the
officers of the police, Mr. Carden, who is said
to have shown unusual pluck during this
night of horror, wrote a capital description of
this episode to his people. It appeared in
the Field, and excited much interest.

News travels with incredible swiftness in
Africa, losing nothing on the way. Long
before the police returned, we heard vague
and alarming accounts of lions, of men torn
to pieces, and of horses killed. It may be
imagined, therefore, how glad we were to see
the expedition return safe and sound. More
especially were we glad to welcome back Mr.
Carden, who was one of our best friends.
His hut, in the officers' quarters of the camp,
was near our compound, and whenever we
were in any difficulty — which was often —
"Send for Mr. Carden," was the cry! Such
a nice boy! full of fun, and steady as old Time.
The type of a young English gentleman,
whose people for generations had "feared
God and honoured the king." He it was who

264 ADVENTURES

told us another lion tale, — almost more terrible
than the Maronka affair.

A prospector named Vogler, camped some-
where between Beira and Umtali, was search-
ing for a reef supposed to be lying in that
direction. One day some natives came to
his camp, telling him that two white men
were " besieged by lions" a hundred miles
away, and that both were dead or dying.
Vogler wasted no time, he knew that white
men were encamped at the place indicated
by the natives, and found that the latter,
questioned individually, told a consistent tale.
Taking with him a guide and a few boys to
carry provisions, he walked the hundred miles
in less than two days and a half.

In front of the solitary hut, built at some
distance from water, lay the bones of a lion ;
several more had their lair in the bushes
close by, according to the natives. With
some difficulty Vogler obtained admission to
the hut. There he found two white men in
an indescribable condition. One man was
lying on a rude stretcher apparently un-

x IN MASHONALAND 265

conscious ; the other was up and about, but
looked a ghastly object. An intolerable smell
poisoned the atmosphere. Having attended
to the first wants of these two miserable men,
Vogler asked what had happened. The man
who was still conscious told him.

His comrade, he said, had caught the fever,
was very ill, and too weak to move. The
natives had deserted, as they so often do in
face of sickness. One night, hearing a noise
round the hut, he thought the boys might
have returned — perhaps with evil intentions.
Taking his rifle, he threw open the door. It
was a bright moonlight night. Straight in
front of him, at a distance of about twenty
paces, stood a large lion ; he fired, and killed
it. As he lowered his gun, the lioness, which
he had not perceived, stole noiselessly round
the hut, seized his right hand, and literally
tore it off. The man had presence of mind
enough to dart back into the hut, and bang
the door. It was a frail protection, being
made of reeds ; but in spite of the terrible
wound he found strength enough to pile sacks

266 ADVENTURES chap.

of rice against it. His right arm was a ghastly-
stump, the broken bones sticking out through
the bleeding flesh below the elbow. His
hand was gone. Fearing that he would bleed
to death, he melted a quantity of brown sugar
and plunged the stump into it. It was, when
Vogler saw it, still coated over with a hard
mass of sugar.

He now no longer dared to leave the hut.
He and his friend had provisions, but no
water. Part of their store was composed of
tins of salmon and sardines. They bored
holes in the tins, and drank the oil, and the
horrible fish liquid. In this manner they had
lived for seven days ! The man with fever
had got gradually worse, and appeared likely
to die, but he eventually recovered. U nfortun-
ately, it was impossible to save the wounded
man. The arm was gangrened and he died
soon after Vogler's arrival. The latter himself
told the story to Mr. Carden.

Not long after, Vogler also went " beyond
the sunset." He ordered himself to be
carried to the hospital, but died in his

x IN MASHONALAND 267

" machila " before reaching it. His death
took place in one of the loveliest spots near
Umtali. There the road dips into a "donga."
On the one side the sunlit veldt spreads
away ; on the other a dense thicket casts a
grateful shade over the road. At the time
of year of which I am writing this thicket was
ablaze with brilliant flowers — the blossoms
of a sort of azalea. Every shade of red was
here represented, from the palest faded rose
to the most intense scarlet. Bright-coloured
birds flitted through the branches. Butter-
flies, with wings of metallic lustre, floated
over the flowers. A perpetual hum of in-
sects suggested drowsy summer idleness ;
strange enervating perfumes steeped the
senses in languor. It was surely a dreamy
poetical place from whence to drift into the
unknown. I am told, however, that this is
quite a mistaken sentiment ; that to die in a
bed, in a shaded room, with hospital walls
around you, instead of banks of flowers, is a
more suitable ending — "more satisfactory to
one's friends." It may be so. For my part

268 ADVENTURES

I envied Vogler's mode of passing away.
"It is better to hear the lark sing than
the mouse chepe," says the north-country pro-
verb. I am sure it is full of wisdom, even
though the listener's ears be dying ones.

The roar of a lion, once the most familiar
of nightly sounds, had, so far, never been
heard in New Umtali. A visit from the
king of beasts was the last thing any one
expected ; it was, therefore, sure to be paid
before long.

One day two men drove from Salisbury
to Umtali, borrowing, for the purpose, Dr.
Jameson's mule cart. One of these gentle-
men was a Mr. Robert Williams, well known
in Africa as a successful speculator and a
right good fellow. He was no novice in
African travel, and scarcely was his cart out-
spanned, than he asked if it was safe to leave
the mules on the veldt for the night. Yes,
was the universal answer. Between camp and
township, oxen and donkeys roamed about all
night ; none of them had ever been lost.

Captain Heyman, of Masse-Kesse fame,

x IN MASHONALAND 269

had returned to Umtali as Resident Magis-
trate and Civil Commissioner. The officials
had hitherto succeeded each other like pictures
in a magic -lantern, but Captain Heyman
bade fair to be an exception to the rule.
He had invited Mr. Williams to be his guest.

That night we were up nearly all night
with a bad case. Dr. Johnston had been re-
called home ; his substitute had not arrived ;
it was a time of anxiety of which I propose
to speak in another chapter. One of us
crossing over to the hospital on the night in
question, was startled by a terrible yell, — a
prolonged agonising shriek. It reminded
one of the legends of the Banshee.

As soon as the camp was astir, we sent
to ask Mr. Carden if he had heard the
noise, and knew what it was. His answer
was a startling one. Lions had invaded
the hitherto peaceful camp ; a mule, a
donkey, and an ox had been killed within
a few yards of the hospital. Two more
mules were killed in the bush close to
the Police Camp. It was the shriek of a

270 ADVENTURES

mule, which the lion had disembowelled, that
we had heard. The other creatures had had
their necks broken, and died instantaneously.
A lion springs on an ox, passes a paw under
his jaw, gives his head a twist, and his neck
is broken. The whole operation takes place
with such rapidity that the ox cannot attempt
to save 'itself, and, after the first moment of
terror, probably suffers nothing.

We heard no more of the lions for that
day, but, after all the wild tales that floated
about, it was impossible to cross the com-
pound after dark without a thrill of terror.
Our watch that night was a dismal one.
Seated beside the dying man whose life was
ebbing slowly away, we listened nervously to
every sound, momentarily expecting some
terrible catastrophe. Nothing happened,
and at last morning dawned, and the terrors
of the night seemed to vanish with the dark-
ness. Our boys, however, informed us that
the mules had again been attacked in the
shelter in which they had been tied up, and
had stampeded. One had fled away towards

x IN MASHONALAND 271

Salisbury, the other had been killed far from
the camp. The lions, then, were still at hand.
They were, indeed, nearer than any one sup-
posed. At nine o'clock we saw a commotion
in the Police Camp. The men had seized
their rifles, and were all hurrying in one
direction.

It appeared that a native who herded the
cattle suddenly saw a lion spring out of the
grass, and give chase to the oxen. He very
nearly caught one, springing at it and scratch-
ing it very severely. The natives' shouts
scared the brute and raised the alarm in
camp, the men turning out at once. Many
shots were fired ; the pursuit was a hot one,
but unsuccessful, the long grass making it
impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.
However, the lions were supposed to have
been driven off. Not a bit of it ! That
very afternoon they returned about four
o'clock, and, in broad daylight, coolly chased
the police horses across the commonage be-
tween the township and the camp. One of
the horses had a very narrow escape.

272 ADVENTURES chap.

That morning our patient died. His
funeral, which took place the same after-
noon, was a strange spectacle, most of
the men being armed with rifles. The
procession looked more like a war - like
expedition than a funeral.

By this time our huts were furnished
with solid doors, but the large window in
our sleeping hut was simply a hole in
the wall. We barricaded this with a big
umbrella, hoping that the lion would object
to its size and spikes. Mr. Carden brought
us a revolver, and Captain Hey man had
a lantern hung outside in a tree. A lion
is said to object to a lantern, and perhaps
he does. In any case, he did not try to
enter our hut. Every one, however, was not
so lucky.

Towards one in the morning we were
roused by the most frightful yells that
ever mortal lungs gave utterance to. We
distinguished clearly the "Maiwe!" of the
natives. A number of shots were fired
in rapid succession, then all was silent.

x IN MASHONALAND 273

In about half an hour the cries were
repeated ; more shots were fired ; then
came unbroken silence till morning. As
soon as it was light we went to our boys'
hut to find out what had happened, fully
expecting to hear that some one had been
carried off. It was a great relief to hear
that no one had been injured. Captain
Hey man's boys, however, who lived in a
grass hut close to our compound, had had a
narrow escape.

Alarmed by the nightly raids that had
been made on the cattle, these natives
kept a bright fire in their huts all night.
One of them was making it up, when the
whole party was roused by the well-known
pig-like grunt of a hunting lion. Whilst
they huddled together, the thatch wall was
torn aside, and the head of a lion forced
through the opening. His jaws were open ;
the huge cavity showed red in the firelight,
which lit up his gleaming teeth and cruel
yellow eyes. With one accord the boys
burst into the wails and shrieks that had
T

274 ' ADVENTURES chap.

roused us and the police camp, thereby
scaring off the lion. The night was of
inky blackness. Nevertheless Captain
Heyman, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Carden
rushed out of their huts and fired their
rifles — they could not see to aim at any-
thing. Some one then appeared with a
lantern, and the natives were convoyed to
the mess hut, which was provided with a
strong door. They declared that half an
hour later the lion returned and tried to
force his way through the door. At the
first sound of the cries, the same men
rushed out again and fired. The next
morning the "spoor" showed that the lion
must have passed close to Captain Heyman
as he fired. It was a curious thing that
just before the first alarm, Mr. Williams,
who was sleeping in Captain Hey mans
hut, should have declared that he heard
a lion outside. Captain Heyman assured
him that it was quite impossible. No lion,
he said, would venture into the camp and
wander among the huts. If it went any-

x IN MASHONALAND 275

where, it would try and get into the
stable. He had hardly finished speaking
when the yells of his boys proved very
convincingly that no one can calculate on
what a wild beast will or will not do.

Every effort was now made to destroy
the lions. The carcases of the mules were
poisoned. Men sat up in the trees above
them all night, on the chance of getting
a shot. Mr. Carrick, the plucky post-
master, did this night after night, in all
weathers, but in vain. The darkness was
so dense that the shots which he fired in
the direction from whence the sounds of
crunching came, did not even frighten the
lion. He merely dragged his mule a little
further off, and went on with his supper.
Nor did the poison seem to trouble him.
The dispensary had none strong enough,
or in sufficiently large quantities, to prove
effectual.

For ten days there was a reign of terror
in Umtali. The roads and streets of the
township were covered with lion spoor. No

276 ADVENTURES

one would venture out after dark. The
natives took their assegais when they went
to fetch water ; most of the white men who
had to go any distance took their revolvers or
rifles. Hunting parties went out in different
directions nearly every day, but were always
unsuccessful. The lions on the contrary
killed something every night. At last the
climax came.

One night sounds of bellowing and tramp-
ling floated across to us from the township.
Shots were fired, and evidently a great
commotion was going on. It appeared that
the lions had forced their way into a cattle
kraal built behind one of the houses. The
terrified cattle stampeded, their assailants
chasing them through the streets. The noise
was tremendous. Frightened faces appeared
at windows, and rifles were discharged, but
the lions paid no attention. They killed two
oxen — one in the High Street, one near the
oven of our friend the baker — besides badly
mauling several others. This state of things
could no longer be borne. One of the towns-

x IN MASHONALAND 277

folk, a good shot and clever hunter, took some
natives with him, and followed up the fresh
"spoor," which led into the bush behind the
township. After walking some hours, they
entered a small open glade, and there before
them stood lion and lioness. A shot killed
the former, his mate escaping into the under-
growth.

The dead king was carried back in
triumph to Umtali. We all went to see him.
He lay stretched out on the grass, a group of
the people he had so long held in awe stand-
ing around. He was a beautiful beast, just
in his prime, measuring ten feet long from the
tip of his nose to the end of his tail. His
coat was soft and bright, and of a tawny
colour — not unlike that of a mastiff — with
black points. This colour is so like that of
the sun-dried grass, that it can with difficulty
be distinguished from it. Altogether we
thought him much handsomer than the
menagerie lion, which is apt to look out of
proportion — the head enormous, and the hind-
quarters falling away.

278 ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND ch. x

After the death of her mate, the .lioness
took her cubs away from Umtali, and
wandered off towards the coast. She met her
death in a mountain defile, called Christmas
Pass — the very spot where Mr. Teal had been
devoured by a lion more than a year before.

After these days of unpleasant excitement
Umtali relapsed into its usual somewhat
monotonous routine, nor did any such terrible
visitants reappear during the remainder of
our stay there.

CHAPTER XI

A luxury — Mr. Seymour-Fort — An eccentric drive — A
luncheon party — China versus tin — Ill-behaved guests
— Moonlight — Our carriage and pair — " Pills and
Powders" — Their friendship with our monkey —
Warned of a snake — An execution — Dr. Johnston
departs — No doctor — A patient from Masse-Kesse —
Clark and Paget — Amusing notes — The doctor at last
— A cause celebre — Troublesome results — What's in a
name? — Gold finds — The gold fever — Wonderful
reefs — The Queen of Sheba's kingdom.

Nearly a year after our arrival at Umtali,
just when climate and work were beginning
to tell on us, we were able to indulge in a
great luxury ; thanks to the intervention of
Mr. Seymour- Fort. This gentleman had
renounced political life, and had come up to
Mashonaland with some of the Directors of
the British South Africa Company. He was,
at the time of which I write, managing large
mining interests. We had had the good

280 ADVENTURES chap.

fortune to see a great deal of him, and he
ranks as the most valued friend we made in
Africa.

Mr. Seymour-Fort had made the acquaint-
ance of a miner, who possessed a small hand-
cart— a very light vehicle, in fact, a mere
box on wheels. He had lengthened the
dliselboom and harnessed two donkeys to it,
the result being a convenient little trap.

Our first drive in this eccentric vehicle
was most amusing. Scarcely had we started,
the donkeys tearing madly down a steep
donga, when the seat fell out, landing us at
the bottom of the cart. I was driving Sister
Aimee ; Mr. Fort running alongside ; a black
boy trotting behind. Mr. Algernon Caul-
field met us at the bottom of the donga, just
in time to extricate us. The reins, whfch
were made of rope, were much too long, and
had tied us up in a complicated knot. The
seat having been recovered and replaced, we
made another start. But the donkeys sud-
denly refused to go on. Mr. Caulfield
pushed, Mr. Fort pulled, we all shrieked

xi * IN MASHONALAND 281

encouragement in chorus, but nothing moved
the donkeys. Suddenly, during a pause in
our efforts, they rushed on again, nearly up-
setting the seat a second time.

Finally, however, we arrived at Mr. Fort's
camp safe and sound. Here a surprise
awaited us in the shape of a real luncheon,
neatly laid on a real tablecloth. Actually
there were china cups ! No one who has not
been obliged to drink tea out of tin mugs can
realise the pleasure of drinking it out of
china. These cups eventually found their
way to the hospital. We could not under-
stand having two forks in the course of a
meal, and were disposed to cling desperately
to those^ we had used. Mr. Seymour-Fort
declared that he had never entertained such
ill-behaved people. We screamed at the
appearance of a bond-fide teapot, and went
into positive rapture when a salad was served.

After luncheon we decided on walking
home through the valley, as it was rather
dull having to return by the same road.
Abandoning the "carriage," we descended

282 ADVENTURES

the steep hill, on the top of which Mr. Fort's
camp was pitched, and walked through the tall
grass and rich vegetation of the narrow valley
below, where groups of palms, sheltered by
hills from the violent winds that sweep over
the plain, wave their graceful branches on
the banks of sleepy streams.

It was hot, but not unpleasantly so. By
and by the sun sank in the west, and we
finished our walk by moonlight. The fairy-
like beauty of tropical moonlight can only be
felt ; it cannot be described. It seemed a
crime to turn one's back on a scene of such
beauty, and go prosaically to bed. But prose
eventually carries the day in all such situa-
tions— worse luck ! The next day a bad
case was brought to the hospital. We had
done well to take advantage at once of a day's
freedom.

This expedition had been so successful,
that Mr. Fort suggested that we should buy
the donkey-cart. He would exchange a pair
of excellent donkeys, ''accustomed to harness,"
for two which the Bishop had given us. We

xi IN MASHONALAND 283

accepted the offer with joy. A bargain was
soon struck with the digger who owned the
cart, and we became possessed of a " carriage
and pair " ! This equipage was a great
resource. When patients were convalescent
and up, we could harness the "thorough-
breds" and escape for an hour. The com-
bination of fresh air without exertion, and an
entire change of scene, though only attain-
able for so short a time, did us a world of
good. When we got back to the wards we
could be cheery without an effort, and had
generally something to tell our patients about
our driving adventures.

It was rarely that our drives were quite
uneventful. The donkeys — sweet beasts,
which we christened " Pills and Powders" —
had mouths like cast-iron, and nearly pulled
my arms off. If they determined to abandon
the road and tear madly over the veldt, no
earthly force could stop them. The cart was
so light that I could pull it myself, and it
merely served to urge the donkeys on by
clattering at their heels. Later on I got

284 ADVENTURES

them in hand, and they were much better
behaved.

Some one else was as delighted with our
new acquisition as we were. This was Eric,
our little blue monkey. No one ever had
such a charming monkey before or since
— so clean, so full of fun, and so affectionate.
It was a sight to see him sitting on " Pills's"
big, shaggy head, examining his long ears
with great interest. Eric had an inquiring
mind, and evidently wanted to know the
reason of everything. He used to sit on the
calves' backs as they were lying down asleep,
pull their eyelids open and peep inside.
They never seemed to mind a bit. He was
a sort of sentinel too, giving notice of any
stranger's approach. One day, being chained
to a long pole in front of our sleeping-hut, he
made an awful noise, shrieking, chattering,
springing up and down, staring all the time
into our hut. We picked him up, tried to
pacify him, and brought him milk, but all in
vain. Sister Aimee going presently into the
hut to fetch something saw the cause of the

xi IN MASHONALAND 285

disturbance. A large snake was gliding
about the place, and, at her approach, it
darted into my blankets. We summoned all
the natives, who killed the reptile with their
assegais.

It was lucky for us that we were both
so fond of animals, for our life was, as a rule,
very monotonous. For one day off, which we
enjoyed immensely, we were weeks without
the slightest break in the routine of cooking,
nursing — nursing, cooking. No one with
merely a professional interest in the work
could have endured the life. The cases were
nearly all of fever. Many were very bad,
and had serious complications ; we lost about
ten per cent. But there was, of course, none
of the life and variety of London hospital
work. We had a coolie cook during the last
rainy season we spent in Mashonaland. This
was a very great help. We were both get-
ting rather run down, and could not have
gone on without one.

We had a curious experience at the be-
ginning of these rains. Dr. Johnston was

286 ADVENTURES chap.

recalled to England. Mr. Caulfield, who was
acting as dispenser, went with him. The
doctor had been very good to us, and we
regretted his departure deeply. A substitute
had been appointed, but had not arrived.
The patients in hospital were convalescent ;
we discharged them in a few7 days, hoping
they would not be replaced till the new
doctor arrived. This was a vain hope.
Two days later a procession wound its way
across the plain, appearing to come from
Masse-Kesse. First walked a native carry-
ing a note stuck in a split reed. He held
the bamboo in front of him, like a candle-
bearer in a procession, and every now and
then the white note caught the rays of the
sun. Then followed a " machila," that is, a
sort of canvas hammock slung on a long
pole, which two or four natives carry on
their shoulders. Out of the hammock hung
a limp-looking leg. We made out all this
with our field-glasses. Two boys walked
behind the "machila," but they carried no
luggage on their heads — an ominous sign.

xt IN MASHONALAND 287

A mere traveller would certainly have stores
and blankets. As we expected, the bearers
made straight for the hospital, recognisable
by its Red Cross flag. Was this indeed a
terrible accident such as we had often talked
of? We hoped against hope, and went
down to the gate to receive the sick man.

The machila contained a young English-
man, who had been sent over from Masse-
Kesse, a distance of about eighteen or twenty
miles. Though this place is a very fever
nest, the Mozambique Company had unfor-
tunately no doctor there. Several sick were
brought over to us from that place. Our
new patient had remittent fever badly, and
a twenty-mile journey in a broiling sun had
not improved his condition. We had great
trouble and anxiety about him. Before
coming to us he had tried every sort of
quack medicine, taking everything recom-
mended by anybody, and swallowing all the
remedies one after the other. We were
very glad indeed to see him turn the corner.

There were a good many slight cases of

288 ADVENTURES chap.

fever in the district, and we enjoyed driving
the donkeys on what we called " our rounds."
I called myself " Paget n and Sister Aimee
"Andrew Clark." We were extremely pro-
fessional on these visits, and were com-
plimented on our excellent "bedside manner."

It was a time of anxiety of course ; yet
amusing things happened.

One day, for instance, a distant farmer
sent us a note marked urgent, and thus con-
ceived: "The Sisters are requested to send
six strong sleeping-draughts at once by
bearer. Writer has had fever — very weak —
can't sleep." Sister Aimee explained that the
administration of six strong sleeping-draughts
would probably be followed by an inquest ;
and we sent him a mild one, which, we after-
wards heard, answered very well. Another
man wanted a dose of what he called
" Hydrag : Perchlor : powder." This is a
strong poison, being in other words corro-
sive sublimate. He meant calomel, but
wished to impress us with his professional
knowledge of medical terms. Another poor

xi IN MASHONALAND 289

man was brought over from Masse-Kesse in
a hopeless state. He lingered for a few
days, and died in the midst of the lion scare
described in a former chapter.

Soon after, the new district surgeon arrived.
His boys had deserted him on the veldt. He
had been days without food, and in a raging
fever. He was still very ill, and had to
spend a fortnight in hospital.

Umtali was, not long after, agitated by a
cause cdlebre.

In a moment of folly and impecuniosity
one of the settlers paid his boys with gilded
shillings, instead of with sovereigns. These
coins, of the Jubilee type, were, when gilded,
very like sovereigns, excepting for their
weight. Some one, it was never known
who, had brought them into the country
for no good purpose. A native who had
received several of these false coins, hap-
pened to tramp up to Salisbury, and to go
shopping. Of course at the very first store
he entered the fraud was detected.

An inquiry being instituted, a number of
u

290 ADVENTURES chap.

other natives who had been similarly deceived
appeared to give evidence. Their former
master was arrested. Umtali was in a fer-
ment. Public opinion was divided. Many
declared it was "jolly sharp" of the delin-
quent. A shilling, they averred, was quite
enough for a native — much too good for
him, in fact.

The court-house was packed on the day of
the trial. The white man being found guilty,
great curiosity was evinced as to what his
sentence would be. Would he have hard
labour, or a fine ? Betting ran high.
Finally he was condemned to pay a fine of
£$o. No sooner was his condemnation
made known than he became a sort of hero.
Nothing was heard but " poor fellow — what
hard lines ! " Trusting that popular sym-
pathy would take a substantial form, the
prisoner declared that he could not pay.
But the arm of the law was extended, and
bore him off to gaol. After twenty-four
hours of reflection in this retreat, the money
was paid and he was released. For a long

xi IN MASHONALAND 291

time after, no native would accept a sove-
reign, unless it had St. George and the Dragon
on it. As it was difficult to obtain any gold
at all, it may be imagined what trouble this
reasonable prejudice gave to the whole
community.

Umtali had been very steady for some
time, — abnormally steady, some people said.
A slight and rather amusing incident swung
the pendulum back in the direction of former
days.

A prospector arrived whose name was
Mr. George Dam. Naturally enough he
strolled into a bar, and asked for a drink.
" And what is your name? " said one of the
men standing by. " Dam," was the answer.

" D yourself," was the immediate retort,

"what is your name? " — " Dam, I tell you, "
cried the stranger. Unholy adjectives flew
round. "What is his name ? " — "Won't he
give his name?" — "What is your name?"
roared the whole assembly. " Dam,"
shrieked the prospector for the third time.
This was more than could be endured, and a

292 ADVENTURES chap.

free fight ensued. I do not know which
party was victorious ; certain it is, that there
were a great many black eyes walking about
the next day, and it was some time before
the town settled down again.

A great find of gold was made close to
the township. The quartz was like white
sugar, and was largely scattered with lumps
as big as a pin's head, and flakes of visible
gold. There were long yellow veins of
gold, running through almost every specimen
of quartz. At first it was supposed that the
reef would become less rich as the shaft was
sunk deeper. Instead of this it became
richer and richer. The ferment and agitation
of the community may be imagined. Every
one rushed about in every direction, looking
for the continuation of the reef ; but I do not
think any one found it.

People stumble on rich finds in unexpected
places, which had been pronounced barren of
metal a few weeks before. I myself have
seen a piece of quartzite, which an expert
had declared to be mere dirt that could not

xi IN MASHONALAND 293

possibly carry gold, pan with extraordinary
richness. It is this uncertainty which lends
a special fascination to gold prospecting.
The men with the most technical knowledge
are not, therefore, the most successful.

We of course knew only by hearsay of
the gold finds. But every one told us that
the goldfields of Manica were extraordinarily
good. This country is said to be the ancient
land of Ophir where the Queen of Sheba
reigned, and whence she sent gold, myrrh,
and spices, to the Wise King. However,
this, of course, is pure conjecture.

CHAPTER XII

The hospital empty at last — An expedition proposed — We
trek to the Odzani — A picnic — Our camp by the
"Slippery Drift" — The march to M'Tassa's kraal—
A wearisome delay — The King appears — A noisy
palaver — Offering a present — Kaffir beer — The King
is photographed — Bushman drawings — Return home
— Cattle stealing — A warlike expedition — The
"Artillery" borrow our donkey-harness — An awful
old woman — Return of the expedition — News of the
Bishop's return — Nurses to relieve us — The Beira
Railway — The Jesuit Mission — Splendid organisation.

It was in September 1892 that the hospital
was first empty for a few days. It underwent
a thorough renovating ; the mud walls being
re-daghered, and the mats that covered them
carbolised, where it was not possible to renew
them. Everything being in apple-pie order,
and the health of the country being good,
Dr. Johnston, then on the eve of his departure
for England, proposed that we should accom-

chap, xii ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND 295

pany him and the Civil Commissioner to
M'Tassa's kraal.

This Chief was very rarely seen by any
one. His large leisure was almost entirely
employed in conjugating the verb to drink.
More than once the Company's officials had
gone over to his mountain lair, and had been
obliged to return without having been re-
ceived by him. On this occasion, however,
he was almost sure to appear, since the
annual present of ^100, which the Company
gives him, was to be presented.

We, of course, jumped at the idea, and
proposed driving " Pills and Powders" as far
as practicable, and then walking. This was,
however, declared to be impossible. One of
the camp Scotch-carts, which vehicle looks
like a waggon cut in half, was put into
requisition. A tent was deposited at the
bottom, on the top of which rugs, blankets,
etc., were piled. The men were to ride.

One fine morning, therefore, we climbed
into our Scotch -cart, drawn by a span of
eight oxen, and trekked gaily across the

296 ADVENTURES chap.

veldt. We halted for luncheon under a
group of trees. There is something very-
enjoyable in these African picnics. The air
is so pure, the sky so cloudless. There is
no busy, hurrying, noisy town, in the back-
ground ; immense solitudes surround one.
With a certain sense of lotus-eating enjoy-
ment, one abandons oneself to the influences
of the hour. Leaning back in the shade
of the cart, one lazily watches the natives
lighting fires and boiling kettles ; while, near
at hand, the large-eyed oxen wander slowly
along, crushing aromatic herbs beneath their
tread as they feed. A thin column of blue
smoke rises from the fires round which the
boys sit, singing a monotonous chant, which
harmonises with the surroundings as nothing
else would. Then the water boils, tea is
made, luncheon is ready. Surely bread and
corned beef never could taste so good under
any other circumstances ! Such is my im-
pression of this picnic, and of many like it.

Luncheon being over we inspanned, and
set off again, reaching the "Slippery Drift"

xii IN MASHONALAND 297

at the Odzani river at half-past four in the
afternoon. Here we were to halt for the
night. It was a lovely river, rushing over
a granite bed, swirling round great boulders,
and gliding swiftly and sombrely between
dark granite cliffs. A narrow line of thick
bush belted the river on either side.

This ford had received the name of
" Slippery Drift," from the fact that the
shallow water here covered flat granite rocks
as smooth as glass. A horseman was never
quite sure of reaching the other side without
a ducking. Even on foot it was difficult to
avoid slipping. When the rains had swollen
the river it was very dangerous, for horse
and rider would be swept away with resistless
force if either made the slightest mistake.
Often it was wholly impassable. In Sep'
tember it was, of course, quite shallow.

Our tent was pitched on the banks of this
most picturesque river ; and whilst we carried
our towels behind a big rock and had a
wash, tea was made ready. We sat on a
semi-circle of big rocks, and sipped it slowly,

298 ADVENTURES chap.

wondering, as we did so, what sort of "five
o'clock " the Queen of Sheba indulged in !
A cheery little dinner in the tent followed,
and then we strolled out in the moonlight,
and sat on the rocks, watching the river
and chattering, till Dr. Johnston declared he
could no longer countenance such insanitary
proceedings, and we must go to bed. There-
upon Sister Lucy and I retired to the tent,
the men making themselves comfortable
under the Scotch-cart, and the natives beside
the fires.

The next morning we were up betimes,
and after a hurried breakfast we got into the
Scotch-cart, which the men pushed into the
middle of the river. From there we were
able to step on a rock, then on to another,
and so safely to land. The men waded
through. We then set out to walk to the
King's village, a distance of about four miles.
The path wound upwards along a mountain
side, through a narrow defile. On either
side huge rocks towered above us. Down
below was a chaos of rocks and boulders.

xii IN MASHONALAND 299

The whole was intermixed with the scrubby
bush which abounds in this part of Africa,
though there seem to be no tall forest trees.

We all walked in the usual single file
along a narrow native track. The whole of
Africa is intersected by these paths, which
are never straight, but curve from one side
to another. We often asked why a native
proceeds in this roundabout way, and one or
two people told me that every one has a
natural tendency to go more to the right
than the left, and that instinct leads the
native to correct this by taking a turn in the
other direction. On the other hand, we
constantly noticed that natives are incapable
of making a straight line. They never put
a mat down straight, nor can they build a
straight wall, nor cut a straight furrow.

Our path wound higher and higher, and
led to the foot of a steep cliff, up which we
scrambled, arriving at a species of small
plateau, with a precipice on one side and
piles of rocks on the other. We could see
no huts, though we were almost in the kraal.

3oo ADVENTURES

The low beehives were built behind rocks
or trees, and were so cleverly contrived as to
be quite invisible to a raiding force. Indeed,
we were told that an Impi of Gungunyama's
men from Gazaland had declared this village
to be quite impregnable, and had returned
home, raiding as they went.

A messenger was sent on to inform
M'Tassa of our arrival. Not a native was
to be seen — though of course they had
watched us encamp at the Odzani, and had
probably followed us all the way to our
present halting-place. After a few moments'
delay we followed our messenger, and
entered the outer kraal : the one in which
the chief lives being a good deal higher up,
and strongly stockaded. We were con-
ducted by an Induna to a small hut, where
fresh mats were put down for us ; but, finding
it likely that we should have to wait a long
time, we had the mats taken outside, and,
seated on them, watched the strange scene.

Every rock and boulder was covered with
natives — men, women, and children. They

xii IN MASHONALAND 301

looked like crowds of flies that had settled
on the granite. They did not talk, but
stared with all their eyes. I should think
we must have waited an hour, and then sent
a messenger to inquire whether M'Tassa
meant to appear or not. The answer was
that the Chief was coming. Meanwhile, he
sent a huge pot of native beer, a rather
nauseous compound made from Kaffir-corn.
We waited another hour, and then it was
proposed that we should stroll through the
King's kraal. He would dislike this very
much, and would probably put in an
appearance.

We carried out this project, and no sooner
were we inside the stockade, than an Induna
hurried up to us, assuring us that M'Tassa
would see us directly, if we would only go
back to our mats. We did so, and in a
few moments a great noise announced the
approach of the Chief.

A picturesque procession came winding in
and out through the crags and boulders, and
descended slowly towards us. First ran a

302 ADVENTURES chap.

sort of herald, crying out, " Here comes
M'Tassa ! — Lord of the Sun and Moon ! —
The Dog that prowls by night ! — The Eater
up of white men ! " and a great deal more
foolishness. Then followed a number of
men, the dignity of whose march was some-
what detracted from by the rags of dirty
limbo in which many of them were draped.
To these succeeded a man carrying a beauti-
ful battle-axe, made of black polished wood,
curiously inlaid with brass. After him came
M'Tassa himself. He was a tall, stout man ;
draped in blue and white limbo, worn some-
what after the fashion of a toga ; and with a
blue and white cricketing cap on his head.
His hair was woolly, but his features were
rather fine. He walked well, and came for-
ward with a decidedly dignified air, offering
us his hand, which was slender and well-
shaped, but extremely dirty. A mat was
unrolled for the " King," and his men
squatted round him. A good -sized tree
threw its shadow over M'Tassa ; a number
of slender bamboos and young trees hid

xii IN MASHONALAND 303

the rocks on this spot. No doubt the
natives were accustomed to meet here for
their dances and " palavers."

A most noisy " palaver" this was. Certain
natives had run away from Mr. Selous, and
were said to have stolen some meal. M'Tassa
was requested to give them up. Our inter-
preter explained this to the head Induna, who
in turn explained to his Chief. The latter
kept up an admirable feint of never under-
standing anything that was said until his
Induna explained it to him. He eyed us
furtively, but always tried to pretend not to
be looking at us if we caught his eye.

One party in the kraal were for giving up
the boys; the other party was anti -white,
and was headed by a ruffianly -looking per-
son, who had combed out his wool until it
had acquired quite a respectable length, and
who was of an extremely ferocious appear-
ance. He got up, and yelled and shouted,
until M'Tassa shook his fists at him, and
yelled louder still. Meanwhile we had been
looking at the battle-axe with covetous eyes,

304 ADVENTURES chap.

and suddenly, forgetful of etiquette, exclaimed
in Mashona, " M'Tassa ! we want your battle-
axe ; will you trade ? " A moment of shocked
silence followed, then a hubbub, and then
a good deal of laughing. M'Tassa good-
naturedly caused his Induna to explain that
he could not part with the weapon, because
it always belonged to the Chief, and his son
would have it after him.

To change the conversation, and divert
the current of people's thoughts, the "pre-
sent " was produced. Two rolls of limbo,
one blue, one white, of about thirty yards
each, were deposited in front of the Chief,
and a hundred golden sovereigns were poured
out on them. The king looked very slightly
at it, and showed no pleasure. This is
etiquette. After a few moments, M'Tassa
condescended to explain through his head-
man that he did not care for gold, but that
he would accept limbo in place of it, since
the white men were so anxious to make
him presents.

This point being settled, Dr. Johnston

xii IN MASHONALAND 305

asked if he might photograph the chief and
his people. He said he would take M'Tassa's
likeness to England, and perhaps the " Great
White Queen " would see it, and recognise
what a great chief M'Tassa was. To every-
one's surprise, permission was given, and
a very characteristic and picturesque photo-
graph was the result, though the King rather
spoilt himself by pulling his " toga " up about
his ears. The Chief now sent for a small pot
of beer — his own special brew. We all tasted
this, and found it really excellent. It was
sweetened with honey, and was very different
from the beer generally in use.

We were anxious to leave, having a good
walk back to the Odzani, and being desirous
of getting back to Umtali that evening. So
Dr. Johnston put up his apparatus, and, evi-
dently being looked upon as a great sorcerer
by the natives, made his adieux to M'Tassa.
We all hurried down the cliff, pausing at the
bottom to search for a great rock, on which
Mr. Selous had told us some interesting
bushman drawings were to be seen — a proof
x

3o6 ADVENTURES chap.

that in some far distant time the bushmen
lived in Mashonaland and Manica.

These bushmen are supposed to have
been the original inhabitants of Africa.
They are of low stature, their speech is
made up of clicks, they have no settled
dwellings, and they live altogether by hunt-
ing and fishing. They are, in fact, a very
low order of savage. We could not find
out, from any one who had been among
them, whether the bushmen of these days
show any talent for drawing. Their fore-
fathers have left most beautiful and delicate
specimens of their art, traced in yellow and
red pigment on the rocks. The sketches
reminded us of those executed by the cave-
men — outlines of various kinds of buck,
elephants, and other animals, dashed in with
a boldness and directness which any modern
animal painter might envy. No one could
tell us of what the pigment was made. It
seems wonderful that it should have with-
stood the weather, for who shall say how
long ! I am sorry to say that some white

xii IN MASHONALAND 307

men of the " 'Any " species have thought it
funny and clever to add to the collection.
Another of these strange picture galleries
exists near Fort Salisbury. We questioned
the natives about them through the inter-
preter, but they could give no account of
them. No one knew, they said ; no one
could count the moons since they were
shaped. We thought them one of the
most interesting sights we had seen in this
strange land. It was, however, impossible
to linger, and we hurried along to the
waggon. The heat was great, and we were
very glad indeed to see the Odzani glittering
in the sun. We had an uneventful trek
home, reaching the hospital when the moon
was high.

Some short time after this excursion, a
neighbouring kraal excited the wrath of the
white men, by stealing the Company's oxen.
The head-man of the village refused to give
up the culprits, or make any compensation.
In consequence, an expedition was planned to
punish the kraal. A good trek-ox is a very

308 ADVENTURES

valuable animal up in Mashonaland, and if
one village had found it possible to steal
cattle with impunity, the others would soon
have imitated the example. It was decided
that the erring kraal must be thoroughly
frightened, and then fined.

Accordingly a Maxim gun was to be taken
with the expedition. But how was it to be
got there ? That was the question ! There
was no harness to be had ; and finally, to
our great amusement, the " Government "
borrowed our donkey harness. It was
enlarged to fit a couple of horses, and the
artillery was ready for action. We watched
the start with much interest. But alas ! at
about five hundred yards from the hospital,
the Maxim had to cross a small ford, lying
at the foot of a steep hill. Here the horses
jibbed, plunged, and could not be induced to
go a step farther. Men were sent back to
the camp for a span of oxen to replace the
horses, and the expedition proceeded on
its way. Evil fate pursued it however.
Torrents of rain fell night and day. The

xii IN MASHONALAND 309

Maxim could not be dragged anywhere near
the kraal, and had to be abandoned for the
moment on the veldt.

Meanwhile news of these preparations had
been noised abroad. The offending natives
fled from their village — a wretched group of
huts — taking cattle and goods with them.
The Company's forces were met by one
awful old woman, who denounced them in
an unintelligible dialect. No doubt it was
just as well that no one understood her.
Natives have a fine talent for abuse of all
kinds, and we heard that the old lady sounded
as if she was saying "swears." The police
burnt an empty hut as an example, and
carried off a goat and a few fowls. They
kindly brought us some curiosities in the
shape of fire - sticks, arrows, a native
piano, and a few odds and ends. They
would have enjoyed being attacked by an
impi, but the old woman struck terror into
their souls. The Maxim was extricated, and
came home meekly after the expedition had
returned to Umtali. On the whole, perhaps,

i^itbtm mS ****** f&

himm ***** wrifel * Imi ?M* *Q*to xv

312 ADVENTURES chap.

we had settled to wait till he could bring the
nurses up by the long trek. He had had a
most delightful spring - waggon made at
Bristol, and he proposed sending the nurses
up in this. They were from University
College Hospital. He intended to engage
one or two colonial nurses also. Dr. Knight
Bruce went on to say many very flattering
things about our work, and our usefulness to
the Mission. We have kept all these letters ;
they are pleasant to read over in moments of
depression. We very much wished we had
been able to do more.

The Jesuit Mission at Fort Salisbury had
made very rapid strides. We had arrived up
country whilst the nuns were still at Tuli,
and in 1893 seventeen religious sisters were
in Mashonaland. They not only nursed the
hospital at Fort Salisbury, but had opened a
school there. At Victoria also, they had
charge of the hospital.

The Rev. Father Kerr had a large in-
dustrial farm near Fort Salisbury, and we
heard that a number of Jesuit lay-brothers

xii IN MASHONALAND 313

were employed on it. In one of the Admin-
istrator's speeches, he said that he believed
that the agricultural future of Mashonaland
would be enormously indebted to this indus-
trial farm. The Jesuits also worked very
actively amongst the natives. They seemed
to have no lack of money or workers, and to
be most efficiently organised. Our efforts
seemed very poor and small, when contrasted
with the works they carried out on so large
a scale. It may therefore be imagined how
much we rejoiced over the long -looked -for
return of the Bishop, and how glad we were
to hear that he was largely supplied with
funds, and would soon be able to place the
Mission on a more satisfactory footing.

CHAPTER XIII

Illness — Visit from a leopard — Tedious convalescence —
Again without a doctor — Arrival of the Bishop — New
nurses on the way — Their arrival at Umtali — A split
in the camp — A touching deputation — Farewell to
Umtali — Fever en route — In the train — Fontesvilla
— Arrival at Beira — A transformation — Lieutenant
Hussey- Walsh— Hospitality — The Consul's ball.

Since Sister Lucy's serious illness in March
1892, we had escaped the least touch of
fever, and, personally, I had enjoyed excel-
lent health. Just, however, as we were
congratulating ourselves on our escape, and
looking forward to a pleasant journey home,
we both fell victims to the malaria demon.
We had four attacks, one after the other, and
each attack prostrated us both at the same
time. There was no one to look after us
but a native lad. He sat in a corner of our
hut all day ; slept on the floor at night ; and,

chap, xiii ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND 315

having been carefully trained by us as
hospital boy, could change our blankets
without making us get out of bed, and had
some idea of what comfort meant.

Whichever of us had the lower temper-
ature gave the other her medicines, and
looked after her as well as was possible.
We made the best of the situation, but I
must frankly say that it was very uncomfort-
able, and in my opinion it is not right to
leave two women alone in a womanless
country. Native women, even, were not
available. They never went near a white
encampment, though no doubt their pre-
judice will be overcome as time goes on.

We were both very ill indeed — so ill
that we heard afterwards our graves had
been dug ; but we never could find out
whether this was true or not. One night,
when we were both at our worst, the doctor
sat up all night with us. Sister Lucy was
very bad indeed, and threatened with col-
lapse. I had a high temperature even for
Africa — 1060 — and was delirious and saw

316 ADVENTURES

strange visions. The door of our hut was
of the kind called a cottage door, and so
made that the lower part could be shut,
whilst the upper portion stood half open on
account of the heat. Suddenly the door
shook violently ; a shower of dagher fell
from the walls ; it was as if the hut were
about to tumble down. Then, on the top
of the upper door, something large, black,
extraordinary, seemed to appear. The
doctor had turned round at the noise, and
I, who faced the door, shrieked out that
something terrible was coming in !

Dr. Wilson, a big, somewhat slow and
phlegmatic Scotchman, jumped across the hut
in a most unusual and unprofessional hurry,
and banged the door with a violence that
shook the whole hut, and appeared most un-
necessary. He easily persuaded us that
there was nothing near the door ; that my
delirious fancy had created the monstrous
black thing ; and that he had only shut the
door because the temperature changes to-
wards morning, and sunrise is almost as un-

xin IN MASHONALAND 317

healthy as sunset. But, when we were out
of danger, the doctor informed us that a
leopard had been wandering about our com-
pound all night ; had sprung upon our door ;
and was gathering itself up to drop into
the hut, when he flung the door to, and so
shook the creature off, and frightened it
away. It consoled itself in the Police Camp
with a couple of goats, which it killed and
partly devoured. People assured us that
the leopard would have been so frightened
of us that it would not have done us any
harm, but we both agreed in being extremely
glad that Dr. Wilson prevented the experi-
ment from being tried.

We found our convalescence very tedious.
The natives did their best, and an old white
sailor, who had succeeded Charlie, our coolie
cook, made great efforts to shine as a pro-
fessor of invalid cookery. But we could not
do justice to his attempts. With the best
intentions in the world, and the greatest
desire not to be troublesome, it is im-
possible for sick people to eat unappetising

3i 8 ADVENTURES

food, roughly prepared and roughly served.
We did not therefore recover very fast, and
had more than one bad relapse. I do not
know how matters would have ended if our
friend, Mr. Seymour-Fort, had not come to
the rescue. He happened to have with him
a Portuguese-speaking native, who had a fair
idea of cooking ; and every day runners
came from Mr. Fort's camp, a distance of
four miles, bringing chicken broth, custard
puddings, etc. Some of the police, hearing
of our difficulty, created a fair imitation of
aspic-jelly ; it would not have been voted
successful in London certainly, but it was
quite eatable and pleasant, if a little odd.
Pleasanter still was the kind thought which
suggested the idea.

Meanwhile Dr. Wilson and the native
boys looked after the patients as best they
could, but I fear that these were very un-
comfortable. Fortunately only slight cases
were admitted whilst we were ill, with the
exception of one poor man, who was brought
and who never recovered

xin IN MASHONALAND 319

consciousness, I was able, in an interval of
fever, to attend to him when he was brought
in, but twelve hours before he died was
obliged to give up and go to bed. I cannot
find words to say how miserable it made us
both, to lie helpless in our huts, and listen to
the moans of the dying man. Again we felt
how urgently a third nurse was needed.

We were not quite convalescent when
Dr. Wilson was summoned to Beira, where
his wife had arrived, and was waiting for
him to escort her to Umtali. I had a bad
attack of fever shortly after he left, but for-
tunately Sister Lucy escaped, and was able
to look after me and such patients as might
be admitted.

One morning after I was convalescent,
we were busy arranging a new hut which
was being built for the future nurses, and
putting a few finishing touches to a rustic
porch, which we had added to our sitting-
hut, when a smart-looking horseman rode up
to the compound. It was the Bishop, riding
" Hatfield," the Salisbury steeplechaser. He

320 ADVENTURES chap.

dismounted, and advanced with out-stretched
hands. "Well, you two wonderful people,"
was his greeting, " I am rejoiced and sur-
prised to see you both alive." We took
Dr. Knight Bruce over the little hospital
and the huts. He expressed himself as
being highly pleased with all the arrange-
ments ; declared that he had not expected to
find anything so comfortable and civilised ;
and was rejoiced to think that the incoming
nurses would suffer little or no hardships, and
could settle down to a three years' spell of
work without being discouraged by their
surroundings. The Bishop told us that two
of his nurses were from University College
Hospital, and that he had also engaged two
colonial nurses. They were all expected in
about a fortnight. He was full of regret for
the disorganisation of the Mission, feeling
that little had been accomplished since its
inauguration two years beforehand. He
immediately set about building a brick
Mission House, one hundred feet long, and
very conveniently arranged. It is situated

xin IN MASHONALAND 321

close to the hospital, on a gentle rise, and
commands a lovely view. The building was
pushed forward most energetically, and, at
the time that this is written, is probably
nearly completed.

In about a fortnight after the Bishop's
arrival, the waggons bringing up the new
nurses reached Umtali. The two English
nurses looked like settling down to the work ;
but one of the Colonial ladies was barely
twenty. Both she and her companion might,
perhaps, be described in their own phraseology,
as u gay cups of tea," and they made no secret
of their distaste for their new quarters. They
arrived at Umtali on Wednesday, and on the
Saturday following left with us for the coast.

The day before our departure a deputa-
tion of the townsfolk came up to the hospital,
and presented us with an address, signed by
between seventy and eighty " representative
signatures," as the newspapers say. This
demonstration was wholly unexpected, and
very touching. Such services as we had
been able to render were made far too much

Y

322 ADVENTURES chap.

of, and we wished we had been able to do
more. The township seemed especially
pleased at our having started a fund for the
erection of a brick hospital, which would no
doubt have been nearly finished by this time,
but for the Matabele outbreak.

The next day we turned our backs on
Umtali, and set out for Beira. The two
Colonial nurses travelled in a waggon ; Sister
Lucy and I were carried in machilas ; Dr.
Rundell of the Mission, and another white
man, went on foot. The waggon could, of
course, go no farther than Chimoio, on account
of the fly.

Our journey down was most uneventful,
except for the fact that Sister Lucy suffered
terribly from repeated attacks of fever. She
was very plucky about it, and submitted with
wonderful patience to being carried along in
her machila at a rough trot — which, with a
temperature of 105, and aching limbs and head,
must have been almost unendurable. It was
a red-letter day when we saw the railway em-
bankment winding along through the forest.

xiii IN MASHONALAND 323

The plate-layers' camp was at the forty
mile peg. We arrived there late one evening,
and the next morning the traffic manager ran
us down in trolleys as far as the thirty-five
mile peg, where we caught " the down
train." Nothing could exceed the excitement
of our carriers who had followed so far, push-
ing the trolleys, when they saw us puffing
away in the train. For an incredibly long
time they kept up with the train, yelling and
bounding over the veldt. We took four of
them with us in a truck, and they shook their
hands with a disdainful gesture at the friends
they left behind.

Arrived at Fontesvilla, the railway ter-
minus on the Pungwe, we were in doubt
where to go, when a Mr. Cathcart, proprietor
of a large store, came forward and offered us
hospitality. He and his partner turned out
of their rooms for us, and did all in their
power to make us forget the hardships of
the march. We had just missed the river
steamer, and had to remain two days in the
camp. We met more than one former patient

324 ADVENTURES

— amongst them Mr. Holberg, a well-known
hunter, who presented us with some pretty
tusks. We went boating on the Pungwe,
and renewed our acquaintance with the croco-
diles. Sister Lucy picked up a crocodile's
egg, which she proposed to bring home. It
was a pestiferous egg, and promised to be a
regular white elephant, when it was happily
broken.

At last the steamer arrived, and early one
morning we went on board, and were soon
steaming down the Pungwe. This time
there was no question of thirst, hunger, or
discomfort. Awnings protected us from the
sun, and a tidy luncheon was served.

Our surprise, when we reached Beira, was
indeed great. Two years before, it had been
simply a flat sandbank, with one or two cor-
rugated iron houses and the tents of the
Portuguese soldiers. In 1893 we found
streets, stores, and charming houses of the
American chalet type. I suppose there are
about four hundred inhabitants, the larger
number being English. There was a primi-

xin IN MASHONALAND 325

tive tramway, too, people having their own
trucks, and being pushed along by their boys.
The streets are still deep in sand, through
which it is toilsome to plod one's way. Mr.
Hussey- Walsh, the Vice-Consul, offered hospi-
tality to Sister Lucy and myself, the Colonial
ladies being accommodated elsewhere.

A large chalet had been provided for
the Consul, but it was uninhabitable, being
placed on the very edge of the mangrove
swamps which make that part of Beira
unhealthy. Mr. Hussey -Walsh had, there-
fore, established himself in a tiny cottage,
delightfully situated on the sea shore, — the
waves almost dashed into the little verandah
on which our bedrooms opened, and the
fresh salt smell blew into every corner of
the house. Imagine our surprise to find
that the Consul's cook and factotum was
no other than our Malay boy, Jonosso.
He took us under his protection, accom-
panied us when shopping in the Arab
stores, and brought his chief wives to
" scrape " to us.

326 ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND ch. xiii

We stayed eleven days with the Consul,
and nothing could equal his kindness. He
profited by the fact that there were four
English-speaking women in Beira, to give
a dance on the verandah. There were
about ten men to each woman, and to
prevent these latter from dying of ex-
haustion, intervals between the dances were
filled up with songs and rousing choruses.
Everybody was amused, and the fame of
" the Consul's ball " penetrated to the interior
of the Dark Continent.

I

CHAPTER XIV

We leave Beira — On board the German steamer Kaiser
— Dar- es - Salaam — Evangelical mission — Mission
hospital — Emin Pasha's daughter, Ferida — A mad-
man on board — His strange diet — "We can't lock
up an Englishman!" — His death — Zanzibar — The
English mission — Splendid organisation — The hospital
— On board H.M.S. Raleigh — Bishop Smythies —
Aden — The Red Sea — Untimely sausages — Mr. Wolf,
the German explorer — Port Said — Europe at last.

During the eleven days we spent at Beira
we lived in complete uncertainty as to our
future plans. No one could tell us what
homeward-bound steamer would be the first
to arrive. The Union Company's ships run
between Cape Town and Beira ; whilst the
German Company's steamers ply between
Natal and Hamburg, touching at Mozam-
bique, Zanzibar, Naples, and other ports.
We decided on leaving by the first steamer
that put in, and on the 27th of June we

328 ADVENTURES

saw the German steamer Kaiser steaming
into the bay. Early the next morning the
Consul and one or two other friends took
us on board the Kaiser, a large and fairly
comfortable ship, the saloon and cabins
being on the main deck and, therefore,
much less stuffy than those on the ordinary
Atlantic steamer.

Our good-byes being said we set out for
Mozambique, the first port at which we
were to touch. We had seen Mozambique
two years before, and knew every inch of
the town, and, therefore, were not much
interested in our journey until we arrived
at Dar-es- Salaam. This German settle-
ment greatly surprised us. The Kaiser
rounded a rocky island, and, steaming along
a narrow channel, suddenly entered a land-
locked bay round which Dar-es- Salaam is
built. Had it not been for the groves of
cocoanut palms, one might have imagined
oneself at Gmlinden or Baden. Large
white stone houses, two or three stories
high, with brown wooden balconies run-

xiv IN MASHONALAND 329

ning round them, are an unusual sight
anywhere in Africa. The place seemed
astonishingly flourishing, and we wondered
we had not heard more about it, as it
looked a far more important place than
Beira. On inquiry, however, we discovered
that the buildings were not the outcome
of individual enterprise as at Beira, but
were nearly all built by the Government.
The inhabitants too were mostly officials.

Wishing to visit the Mission Hospital,
we asked our way of a magnificent personage
whose white uniform was resplendent with
gold buttons and braid. We thought he
must be a General at least, but discovered
that he was only a post-office clerk. He
directed us to the hospital and mission house
belonging to the German Evangelical Mis-
sion. Large and well - cultivated grounds
surrounded the hospital, and afforded work
to a number of natives whose picturesque
locations, scattered here and there, were
beautifully kept. An elderly deaconess re-
ceived us very amiably, and took us over the

33o ADVENTURES

hospital. She told us that the nursing work
was entirely done by Brothers, she and the
other deaconess having nothing to do with
the sick, but being altogether employed in
cooking and keeping house. In the rare
case of a woman being admitted to hospital
they nursed her. The wards were large and
very clean ; but they looked comfortless, and
seemed to be recklessly ventilated, a small
hurricane blowing through them flapping
the coverings of the beds and beating directly
on the patients' heads. Kind as the nursing
Brothers seemed, we both felt that we should
have been very sorry to know that any one we
cared for was in the Dar-es-Salaam Hospital.
We were struck by the absence of any in-
terest, outside their own work, shown by the
Deaconesses and the Brothers. They had
never heard of Mashonaland, of hospitals at
Cape Town and Kimberley, and they did
not even know that there was a large English
mission close by at Zanzibar. They had
heard of Roman Catholic missions, and
appeared to think that all the hospital work

xiv IN MASHONALAND 331

in the world was either done by them or
by their own Evangelical Mission. They
gave us excellent coffee and cake, despatch-
ing us back to our ship with many good
wishes.

As we strolled back to the landing-place
we met the " Governor's lady," as she is
generally called, a fair-haired German in a
startling toilette, with some unusually fair,
fat children. Amongst these a melan-
choly-looking coloured child attracted our
attention. We were told that this was
Ferida, daughter of Emin Pasha. She came
on board that evening in charge of Sister
Marie of the German Red Cross Sisterhood,
who was to take her to Berlin, and place her
under the care of her fathers sister. Ferida
was a wizened-looking child of about eight
or nine, only redeemed from positive ugliness
by a pair of magnificent Eastern eyes — large,
lustrous, and solemn. She understood and
spoke a little German, French, and Italian ;
but said little or nothing, made no noise, and
moped about in corners.

332 ADVENTURES chap.

We had another interesting traveller on
board, in the shape of a madman. This un-
fortunate was shipped on board the Kaiser,
at Durban I think, and soon proved very-
troublesome. He wandered all over the
ship ; chiefly frequenting the cabins of the
second-class passengers, amongst whom he
travelled. He ate the soap, drank hair-
wash and eau de cologne, used the tooth-
brushes, and picked up any stray coins he
could find. Every now and then he was
searched and his unlawful acquisitions taken
away from him. When we asked why he
was not shut up in a cabin and taken out
under supervision, we were much amused
at being told that it was because he was
an Englishman. " If he were German," said
the Captain, " I would lock him up ; but he
is a bold man who locks up an Englishman."
The poor madman never reached home ;
between the diet of soap and hair-wash, and
the heat of the Red Sea, his health gave
way. He had an apoplectic seizure, and
died without recovering consciousness.

xiv IN MASHONALAND 333

Zanzibar was the first really oriental-look-
ing place we had ever seen, and we revelled
in the narrow streets ; the shops full of
picturesque rubbish ; the open sheds where
we could watch the silver-workers hammer-
ing out designs on quaintly-shaped cups,
bangles, and anklets. We fell easy victims
to the embroidery -sellers and moonstone
merchants who thronged the ship, and who
began by asking ^20, and ended by grate-
fully accepting 10s. for the same goods.

Of course we were curious to see the
English Mission Hospital, having heard a
great deal about it, and being much in-
terested in it. The English Church, or
Cathedral as I think it is called, surprised
us by its size and beauty. It is large
and finely proportioned, built of white
stone, and stands in the midst of a group
of graceful cocoa-nut palms. The Bishop
was holding a synod in the church as we
looked in, and a clergyman, kneeling near
the entrance, who proved to be the Chaplain
of H.M.S. Raleigh, rose from his place,

334 ADVENTURES chap.

and conducted us to the neighbouring
Mission House. Here we were received
by a charming old lady, who manages
the house, and looks after the wellbeing
of Bishop and clergy. She was having
tea prepared for the Synod, and proposed
taking us across to the hospital, request-
ing us to return to tea. To this we gladly
assented, and, following our guide, crossed
a small open space leading to the hospital.
Ascending a short flight of steps we found
ourselves in a delightfully cool recess —
half room, half loggia — and here we saw
a convalescent mission-worker lying on a
comfortable sofa, whilst another was em-
broidering at a small table. It was a cosy
and homelike scene.

One of the nurses, in a fresh white
uniform, then appeared, and took us over
the building. We admired the comfortably
furnished rooms provided for Europeans,
and the nurses' pretty bedrooms, each open-
ing on a broad balcony. We then visited
the beautifully - ordered native wards ; the

xiv IN MASHONALAND 335

large, well-supplied dispensary ; the spotless
kitchens ; and were delighted with the air
of orderly activity which prevailed in every
department. The nurses looked fagged.
They told us that the work was happily
rather slack just then; one of the four
had fever, and the work had been ex-
ceptionally heavy for the other three. But,
though looking a little worn and weary,
they were very bright and cheery, and
evidently thoroughly content with their work
and surroundings.

We carried away a very pleasant im-
pression of our visit, and went back to
the Mission House, where we found a
number of clergy at tea. We were rather
disappointed to find that the Bishop, feeling
very tired, had retired to his room. During
the meal we heard a great deal about the
Mission, its schools and industrial settle-
ments ; and it was delightful to note the
earnestness of our entertainers, and their
complete trust in the Bishop.

We met Bishop Smythies the next day

336 ADVENTURES chap.

on board H.M.S. Raleigh. Admiral Bed-
ford had given us tea, and shown us
some native curios, and, as we said good-
bye to him, we met the Bishop, who had
been entertained by the Chaplain. He was
exceedingly kind to us, and said many en-
couraging things about our work up country,
which seemed familiar to him. We fully
appreciated the charm of his grave and
dignified manner, and easily understood the
sentiments of veneration and personal de-
votion to him with which all his workers
are inspired. On all sides we heard of the
splendid work which the Zanzibar Mission
is accomplishing, and of its admirable organi-
sation. Mr. Eugen Wolf, the German
explorer, who joined the Kaiser at Zanzibar,
told us that he had seen most of the various
Missions which are scattered over Africa,
and that he considered the Mission over
which Bishop Smythies presided to be the
only one which stood on an equal footing
with the Roman Catholic Missions.

From Zanzibar to Aden the journey was

xiv IN MASHONALAND 337

uneventful and monotonous. Most of the
other passengers knew the east coast well,
but Sister Lucy and I were childishly de-
lighted with the Aden camel market and all
the odd figures riding about on camels. We
had only a few hours in which to amuse our-
selves with these strange sights before the
Kaiser set off again, and steamed away into
the dreaded Red Sea. It was hotter in the
Red Sea than any one belonging the ship
had ever known it to be. One lived night
and day in a sort of Turkish bath, there
were no punkahs in the saloon, and I must
say the food was hardly in keeping with the
state of the atmosphere. I remember one
stifling day the Captain, as he sat down to
luncheon, announced that the glass was at
no° in the saloon. Immediately afterwards
an enormous dish of steaming sausages and
sauerkraut was handed round, and some of
the ship's officers actually helped themselves
largely. Most of the English fled in despair,
and collapsed on their deck chairs in a limper
condition than before. It was at Aden that
z

338 ADVENTURES

we heard of the loss of the Victoria ; and the
Germans on board, some of whom were naval
officers, spent their after-dinner leisure during
the rest of the journey in manoeuvring ima-
ginary fleets, made of little balls of bread,
and explaining what the English officers
ought to have done and didn't do.

The only person of resource on board was
Mr. Eugen Wolf, whom I have mentioned
before. He had just returned from Uganda,
from whence he had made a record march to
the coast. We could not get him to talk
about the Uganda question, however. All
he would say was that Sir G. Portal was
a "splendid fellow." Mr. Wolf is a bril-
liant linguist, and spoke English remarkably
well. He was more at home on board the
Kaiser than the Captain, and whenever
anything unusual was required, or anyone
wanted help or advice, " Go to Mr. Wolf,"
was the cry. This tireless wanderer has
bought a charming retreat at Taormina, and
there he says he intends to settle down and
end his days ; but at present he is far

xiv IN MASHONALAND 339

from the " settling-down " period, and very
likely is even now starting off for the utter-
most end of the earth.

We steamed very slowly through the
Suez Canal, and arrived late one evening at
Port Said. We were to spend the night here
coaling, so with one accord we all went on
shore, the town being brightly lit up, and
thronged with people.

Here we possessed ourselves of some of
the gold embroidery for which Port Said is
famous, and ran in and out of the curious
concert rooms and dancing halls which
abound. The doctor of the Kaiser accom-
panied us on this tour of inspection, and
generally swept us out of these odd places of
amusement almost as soon as we had entered
them. I suppose a great deal of fighting
goes on in them. The dancing halls seemed
very dull. The audience sat drinking beer
at little tables, whilst women in long flowing
draperies glided about on a raised platform
waving their arms, and looking like so many
sleep-walkers.

34© ADVENTURES IN MASHONALAND ch. xiv

We left Port Said early the next morning,
and after a four days' journey cast anchor at
Naples.

Those who have followed us in our
wanderings can easily imagine with what
joy and emotion we found ourselves once
more in Europe. We both felt that we had
hardly deserved such good fortune, and
vowed that we would never leave it again.
The Arabs, however, have a proverb which
says : "He who has tasted of African water,
must return to drink of it once more " ; and
certainly there is a penetrating charm about
the " Dark Continent " which must be felt,
but cannot be described. So, in spite of all
the joy of return, the warmth of home com-
fort, the pleasure of familiar ways, I cannot
feel at all certain that either of us has looked
her last upon the Southern Cross. />

THE END

Printed by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh.

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